Skip to main content

Full text of "History of Putnam County, New York : with biographical sketches of its prominent men"

See other formats 


V- 

\2^  CORNELL 

-^ci  UNIVERSITY 

<p  2  o  LIBRARY 

-t 


3  1924  104  019  793 


XI 


Cornell  University 
Library 


The  original  of  this  bool<  is  in 
the  Cornell  University  Library. 

There  are  no  known  copyright  restrictions  in 
the  United  States  on  the  use  of  the  text. 


http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924104019793 


PROMINENT    COUNTY    DEMOCRATS-ll 
ELBERT    C.    HOWES 


)  /vx^y      7^  i( /nt 


<^  '  ^L. 


HISTORY  OF 


PUTNAM  COUNTY, 


NEW  YORK, 


-WITH- 


Biographical   Sketches  of  its   Prominent   Men. 


BY 

WILLIAM  S.  PELLETRBAU,  A.  M., 

Author  of  Histories  of  Southampton,  Southold  and  Easthampton,  Suffolk  County  ;  Histories  of 
Athens  and  Coxsackie,  Greene  County;  and  Haverstraw,  Rockland  County,  N.  Y. 


Philadelphia: 
W.  W.  PRESTON  &  CO. 


1886. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER.                                  page. 
Early  Discoveries 1 

CHAPTER  n. 
Adolph  Philipse  and  his  Patent 10 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Philipse  Family 20 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Division  of  the  Highland  Patent 40 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Wappinger  Indians  and  then-  Controversy  with  the  Heirs  of  Adolph 
PhiUpse 65 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Confiscation  and  Sale  of  the  Shares  of  the  Patent  belonging  to  Susannah 
Robinson  and  Mary  Philipse ■. . .     87 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Gore 103 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Oblong 108 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Settlement  and  Population 118 

CHAPTER  X. 

Roads  and  Ferries 130 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Political  Divisions 145 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Establishment  of  Putnam  Cotmty;  County  Institutions  and  County  Officers. .  161 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Claim  of  John  Jacob  Astor 178 


11  TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIV.                                                 PAGE. 
Putnam  County  During  the  Civil  War 302 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Militia  of  Putnam  County 219 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  BENCH  AND  BAR  OF  PUTNAM  COUNTY. 

Hon.  James  Kent.— Henry  B.  Lee.— Ralsaman  C.  Austin. — George  W.  Niven.— 
Frederic  Stone. — Walker  Todd.— Jeremiah  Hine.— Henry  B.  Cowles.— 
Elijah  Yerks. — Howard  H.  White.— Benjamin  Bailey. — John  G.  Miller.— 
Charles  Ga  Nun. — Peter  M.  Jordan. — William  A.  Dean. — Levi  H.  McCoy. — 
James  D.  Little. — Charles  H.  Slosson. — Samuel  J.Owen. — Owen  T.  Coffin. — 
William  J.  Blake. — Jackson  O.  Dykman. — George  W.  Horton. — Ambrose 
Ryder. — Edward  Wright. — Charles  H.  Ferris. — Hon.  William  Wood. — 
Seymour  B.  Nelson. — James  Gardiner. — Abram  J.  Miller. — William  H. 
Haldane. — George  E.  Anderson. — WardB.  Yeonaans. — Frederic  S.Barnum. 
— Clayton  Ryder. — Hon.  Hamilton  Fish,  jr. — Hon.  Robert  A.  Livingston.  234 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   MEDICAL  HISTORY  OP  PUTNAM  COUNTY. 

Dr.  Robert  Weeks. — Ebenezer  Fletcher. — Daniel  Reed. — William  G.  Hopkins. — 
Aaron  Carman. — Noah  Hill  Crane. — Dr.  Howland. — Frederick  Fletcher. — 
Ebenezer  F.  Boyd. — Dr.  Barnum. — Asher  Gilbert. — Dr.  Adams. — Dr. 
Boardman. — Edward  Crosby. — J.  Homer  Smith. — Frederick  D.  Lente. — 
Ira  H.  Walker.— Edward  B.  Turner. — Joseph  H.  Bailey.— Daniel  Bull. — 
John  Hamilton. — Joseph  C.  Crane. — J.  Q.  Adams. — Addison  Ely. — Nathan 
W.  Wheeler. — Jonathan  F.  Seeley. — Austin  La  Monte. — George  W.  Mur- 
'  dock.- Jared  G.  Wood.— Lewis  H.  Miller.— Edson  Card,  jr.— James  Had- 
den. — Ernest  Hebrsmith. — Medical  Societies 251 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Education , 278 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

TOWN   OP   CARMEL. 

Settlement  and  Early  History. — Village  of  Carmel. — Lake  Gleneida. Carmel 

Collegiate    Institute    and    Drew    Ladies'    Seminai-y.— Carmel    Literary 

Union. —  Railroad. —  Bank. —  Newspapers. —  The    Gilead    Church. Rev. 

Daniel  D.  Sahler.— Gilead  Burying  Ground.— James  Raymond.— Mount 
Carmel  Baptist  Church.— Rev.  William  S.  Clapp.— Methodist  Episcopal 
Church gg^ 

CHAPTER  XX. 
TOWN  OF  CARMEL  (Continued). 
Lake  Mahopac— Hotels  and  Boarding  Houses.— Lake  Mahopac  Improvement 
Company.— Mahopac  Land  Company.— Putnam  Land  Company.— The 
Islands  of  Lake  Mahopac— Lake  Mahopac  Methodist  Church.— Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.— Roman  Catholic  Church.— Union  Valley  Cemetery  and 
Chapel.— Mount  Hope  Metliodist  Chapel.— Red  Mills.— Mahopac  Iron  Ore 
Company.— Red  Mills  Baptist  Church.— Red  Mills  Presbyterian  Church.— 
Rev.  Harris  Rogers  Schenck.— Putnam  County  Seminary  Association.— 
Western  Part  of  Carmel. — Supervisors 327 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  Ill 

CHAPTEE  XXI.  PAGE. 
TOWN  OP  CAEMEL  (Concluded). 
The  Hill  Family.— The  Crane  Family.— The  Baldwin  Family.— The  Barrett 
Family. — Abram  Ci'onk. — Cornelius  Dean. — Alotson  Dean, — Lewis  Lud- 
ington. — Charles  Henry  Ludington. — James  Ludington. — Zalmon  Luding- 
ton. — Deacon  Aaron  Ganong. — Leonard  Yeamans. — The  Badeau  Family.  — 
The  Hazen  Family.^ — Jeremiah  W.  Hazen. — The  Gregory  Family. — The 
Austin  Family. — Lewis  Ga  Nun. — Thaddeus  R.  Ganung. — Robert  D. 
Wixsom. — Nathan  L.Thompson. — James  C.  Gulick. — The  Miller  Family. — 
Dr.  Henry  F.  Miller. — Hon.  Henry  D.  Clapp. — Bryant  S.  Palmer. — Dr. 
James  H.  Merritt.— The  Foster  Family.— William  W.  Everett.— The 
Weeks  Family. .  .• 361 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

TOWN   OP   SOUTHEAST. 

Settlement  and  Early  History. — Early  Records. — Supervisors. — Philipse  Lot 
No.  8. — The  Fowler  Family. — Middletown. — Columbia  Library. — South- 
east Center. — Presbyterian  Church  at  Southeast  Center. — Doansburg. — 
DeForest's  Corners. — Line  between  Lots  8  and  9. — Presbyterian  Church  at 
Doansburg. — Dykeman's  Station. — Baptist  Church  at  Dykeman's  Station.  413 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

TOWN  OF  sotTTHEAST  (Concluded). 
Village  of  Brewster. — Savings  Bank. — Croton  River  Bank. — First  National 
Bfink. — Fires  and  Fire  District. — Newspapers. — Emerson  W.  Addis. — Bor- 
den Condensed  Milk  Factory. — Brewster  Hill. — Methodist  Church. — St. 
Andi'ew's  Church. — Baptist  Church. — Roman  Catholic  Church. — Societies. 
Iron  Mines. — Croton  Reservoir. — Descendants  of  Rev.  ElishaKent. — Enoch 
Crosby. — The  Doane  Family. — Daniel  Drew. — The  Theall  Family. — Gen. 
James  Ryder. — Samuel  H.  Everett. — Daniel  W.  Dykman. — The  Brewster 
Family. — The  Howes  Family. — Joshua  Barnum.^ — Morgan  Horton. — John 
T.  Waring.— Levi  H.  Roberts.— The  Reed  Family.— Charles  E.  Everett. .  .  455 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

TOWN   OF   PHILIPSTOWN. 

Erection  and  Boundaries. — The  River  Lots. — Beverly  Robinson. — William 
Denning. — Beverly  Farm. — Beverly  House. — Arnold's  Treason. — Garri- 
son's.—South  Highlands  Methodist  Chm-ch.- The  Hopper  Mine.— Conti- 
nental Village. — Highland  Chemical  Works. — St.  Philip's  Church  in  the 
Highlands. — Methodist  Church  at  Garrison's. — Philipse  Lot  No.  3. — Set- 
tlers.— Early  Town  Records. — Revolutionary 518 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

TOWN  OF  PHILIPSTOWN  (Concluded). 

Village  of  Cold  Spring. — West  Point  Foundry. — Growth  of  Village. — Incor- 
poration.— Cold  Spring  Recorder. — Fires. — Philipstown  Lodge. — Baptist 
Church. — St.  Mary's  Episcopal  Church. — Methodist  C'hurch. — First  Re- 
formed Church. — Presbyterian  Church. — Roman  Catholic  Church. — Cem- 
eteries.— Nelsonville. — West  Point  Iron  Company. — Union  Chapel,  Me- 
keel's  Corners. — Constitution  Island. — North  Part  of  Philipstown. — Col. 


IV  TABLE    OF   COKTENTS. 

PAGE. 
Roger  Morris.— Old  Highland  Methodist  Church.— Northeast  Part  of 
Town.— Murders.— Supervisors.— Hon.  Hamilton  Fish,  LL.D.— Hon.  Ed- 
wards Pien-epont.— Edward  Pierrepont.— Hon.  Daniel  P.  and  Arthur  In- 
graham.— Gouverneur  Kemble.— William  D.  Garrison.— James  H.  Hal- 
dane.— Robert  P.  Parrott.— Col.  Thomas  B.  Arden.— Henry  W.  Belcher.— 
Osmond  M.  Baxter.— Hon.  George  McCabe 551 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

TOWN  OF  PATTERSON. 

Incorporation.— Early  Records.— Settlement.— Paterson  Family.—  Roads.— 
Early  Inliabitants  and  their  residences.— Civil  List.— Change  of  Name.— 
Schools.— Franklin  Union  Library.— Pendergi-ast's  Rebellion.— Presbyte- 
rian Church.— Baptist  Church.— Chi-ist  Church.— Quaker  Meeting  House.— 
Roman  Otholic  Church,  Towner's  Station.— Methodist  Chapel,  Havi- 
land  Hollow.— Revolutionary  Items. — North  Line  of  Lot  7.— Sylvester 
Mabie 639 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

TOWN  OF  KENT. 

Settlement.— Cole's  Mills. — Boyd's  Corners.— First  Baptist  Church.— Episcopal 
Church. —  Richardville  Chapel. — Boyd's  Reservoir. — Farmer's  Mills. — 
Baptist  Church. — Other  Localities. — Ludingtonville. — Col.  Henry  Luding- 
ton. — Second  Baptist  Church  in  Kent. — Change  of  Boundary. — Putnam 
County  Bank. — Union  Cemetery  Association. — Mines. — Supervisors. — 
David  Kent.— Daniel  R.  Nichols. — The  Townsend  Family. — Coleman  Rob- 
inson   675 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

TOWN  OF  PUTNAM  VALLEY. 

Establishment  and  Boundaries. — Change  of  Name. — Settlemient. — Cemeteries. 
— Peekskill  Hollow  Methodist  Church. — Oscawana  Lake. — Canopus  Hol- 
low.— Baptist  Church,  Croft's  Corners. — Methodist  Church,  Croft's  Cor- 
ners.— Hempstead  Huts. — Mountain  Chapel. — Oregon. — Solpew  Pond. — 
Change  of  Boundary. — Supervisors. — Walter  N.  Wood. — Hon.  Saxton 
Smith. — George  William  Lane 714 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Personal  Sketches 738 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PORTRAITS. 

Putnam,  Gen.  Israel Frontispiece-. 

Philipse,   Adolph, — "  Patentee." 14 

Philipse,  Frederick,—"  Yonker"  or  "  Judge." 30 

Philipse,  Frederick, — ' '  Colonel." 38 

Philipse,  Philip 34 

Philipse,  Frederick,—"  Captain." 36 

PhiUpse,  Susannah,— Mrs.  Robinson 40 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS.  V 

PAGE. 

Philipee,  Mary, — Mrs.  Morris 42 

Philipse,  Margaret 44 

Morris,  Gen.  William  H 316 

Stone,   Frederic 326 

Little,  James  D 334 

Blake,  William  J 336 

Dykman,  Jackson  0 338 

Ryder,  Ambrose 340 

Wright,  Edward 242 

Wood,  William 244 

Miller,  Abram  J 245 

Barnum,  Frederic  S 346 

Fish,  Hamilton,  Jr 248 

Livingston,  Robert  A 250 

Lente,  Frederick  D 258 

Adams,  J.  Q 262 

Wheeler,  Nathan  W 365 

Seeley,  Jonathan  F 866 

La  Monte,  Austin 367 

Murdock,  George  Wilson : 368 

Miller,  Lewis  H 370 

Sahler,  Rev.  Daniel  D 314 

Clapp,  Rev.  William  S 323 

Hill,  Isaac 363 

Hill,  Solomon 363 

Crane,  B.  T 366 

Crane,  Azor  B 368 

Crane,  Ii-a 369 

Baldwin,  Hemy  S 370 

Barrett,  Peter  B 373 

Barrett,  Isaac  D 374 

Dean,  Cornelius 376 

Dean,  Alotson 378 

Ludington,  Lewis ♦ 380 

Ganong,  Aaron 384 

Yeamans,  Leonard 386 

Badeau,  John  H 388 

Hazen,  Orson, 390 

Hazen,  Jeremiah  W 393 

Austin,  Amos  L , 394 

Ga  Nun,  Lewis 396 

Ganung,  Thaddeus  R 398 

Wixsom,  Robert  D ,.. 400 

Thompson,  Nathan  L , 401 

Gulick,  James  C 403 

Miller,  Henry  F 404 

Clapp,  Henry  D 406 

Palmer,  Bryant  S 408 

Men-itt,  James  H 409 

Everett,  William  W 410 

Addis,  Emerson  W 460 


VI  Table  of  contents. 

PAGE. 

Doane,  A.  S '^^ 

Drew,  Daniel ' ^^ 

Theall,  Thatcher  H ^^^ 

Theall,  Arvah fz 

Everett,  Samuel  H '^^ 

Dykman,  Daniel  W 

Howes,  Seth  B.,  Sen '^^^ 

Barnum,  Joshua •  • ' 

Horton,  Morgan ' 

Waring,  John  T 

Roberts,  Levi  P 

Eeed,  Edwin ^^* 

Everett,  Charles  E : ^^^ 

Fish,  Hamilton '^^^ 

Pierrepont,  Edwards 

Pierrepont,   Edward """ 

Ingraham,  Daniel  P 

Ingraham,  Arthur "'' 

Garrison,  William  D ^1^ 

Haldane,  James  H ^^'^ 

Belcher,  Henry  W ^^4 

Baxter,  Osmond  M : ^^^ 

McCabe,   George "^^ 

Mabie,  Sylvester ^"^^ 

Kent,  David ''O^ 

Nichols,  Daniel  R ''06 

Townsend,  C.  C ■. ''08 

Robinson,   Coleman ^12 

Wood,  Walter  N 'i'34 

Smith,  Saxton ''36 

VIEWS. 

Court  House  and  County  Clerk's  Office 166 

The  Philipse  Manor  House 288 

Carmel  in  1858 * 296 

Drew  Ladies'  Seminary. — Front  view 300 

Drew  Ladies'  Seminary. — Rear  view 301 

Maple  Grove  Cottage — Residence  of  D.  W.  Robinson 304 

Baptist  Church,  Carmel  Village 320 

Methodist  Church,  Carmel  Village        325 

Dean  House,  Lake  Mahopao i 334 

Old  Red  Mills .• ...  346 

Baptist  Church,  Mahopac  Falls 34Vi 

Presbyterian  Church,  Mahopao  Falls 352 

Residence  of  the  late  Lewis  Ludington,  Carmel,  N.  Y 881 

"  Sunset  Hill,"  Residence  of  James  C.  Guliok,  Carmel,  N.  Y 403 

Residence  of  Hon.  Henry  D.  Clapp,  Carmel,  N.  Y 4(lT 

"  Stonehenge,"  Residence  of  S.  B-  Howes,  Brewster,  N.  Y 503 

"  Walnut  Ridge,"  Residence  of  George  Luff,  Garrison's,  N.  Y 534 

"  Mountain  Home,"  Residence  of  A.  G.  Newman,  Garrison's,  N.  Y 536 

St.  Philips  Chapel 541 


TxVBLE    OF    CONTENTS.  Vll 

PAOE. 

St.  Mary's  Church  in  the  Highlands 567 

"  Glencliffe,"  Residence  of  Hon.  Hamilton  Fish,  Garrison's,  N.  Y 589 

Hurst-Pierrepont  in  the  Highlands 591 

"  Fair  View,"  Residence  of  Walter  N.  Wood,  Putnam  Valley,  N.  Y 785 

"  American  Hovise." — Patterson 764 

MAPS,  PLANS,  ETC. 

Map  of  Putnam  County 1 

Fac-simile  of  Deed  by  Wappinger  Indians  to  Borland  and  Seabrant,  July 

15th,  1691 12 

Autograph,  A.  Philipse     14 

Map  of  Philipse  Patent 16 

Map  of  Oblong 17 

Fac-simile  of    Deed   by  Wappinger    Indians   to    Adolph    Philipse,    August 

13th,  1703 18 

Autograph,  Philip  Philipse 33 

Autograph,  Fred  Philips,  1837 37 

Autogi-aph,  Fred  Philii^se,  Administrator  of  Fred  Philips,  1830 37 

The  Land  in  Controversy 79 

Autographs,  B.  W.  Robinson  and  others 154 

Map  showing  Original  Farms  around  Lake  Mahojjac 338 

West  Corner  of  Lots  8  and  9,  Philipse  Patent 433 

Autograph  Map  with  Notes  and  Letters  from  Chancellor  Kent 438 

Map  of  Beverly  FarrA 530 

Autographs,  Roger  Morris,  Mary  Philipse  and  Susannah  Robinson 580 

Fac-simile  of  Comnaission  to  Henry  Ludington  as  Colonel,  June,  1776 693 

Fai^-simile  of  Commission  to  Henry  Ludington  as  Captain  in  Col.  Beverly 

Robinson's  Regiment 694 

Fac-simile  of  Commission  to  Henry  Ludington,  as  Colonel,  May  38th,  1778. . .  696 

Fac-simile  of  Order  of  An'est  issued  by  WilUam  Duer 698 

Fac-simile  of  Letter  from  Nathaniel  Sackett  to  Col.  Henry  Ludington 700 


ARTISTS. 
P.  F.  Goist.  F.  M.  Gilbert. 

ENGRAVERS. 

H.  B.  Hall's  Sons.  A.  H.  Ritchie. 

Samuel  Sartain. 


PREFACE. 


IN  the  summer  of  1885,  the  writer  of  this  work  was  called 
from  his  home,  at  Southampton,  L.  I.,  to  undertake  the  task 
of  preparing  a  History  of  Putnam  County,  for  the  Publishers, 
W.  W.  and  L.  E.  Preston.  Upon  arriving  at  the  scene  of  his 
labors,  the  grandeur  of  the  mountain  scenery  impressed  his 
mind,  with  the  contrast,  so  great,  between  the  "High  Hills  of 
the  Highlands  "  and  the  ocean  shore,  which  had  been  within 
his  view  from  earliest  childhood.  A  more  extended  acquaint- 
ance began  to  demonstrate,  not  only  the  difference  in  physi- 
cal, but  in  historical  matters,  and  he  found  increasing  interest 
in  searching  for  the  sources  of  information  upon  which  the 
historian  must  rely.  The  little  knowledge  that  is  left  of 
that  aboriginal  race  whose  origin  is  unknown  and  whose  end 
is  oblivion  ;  the  coming  of  another  race,  and  their  conquest 
of  the  soil ;  the  settlements  they  made  and  the  towns  they 
founded  ;  with  the  endless  diversity  found  in  family  history, 
and  the  change  of  events  in  political  affairs  ;  the  history  of 
that  family,  who  were  once  lords  and  owners  of  all  the  land 
around ;  the  banishment  and  the  death  in  a  foreign  land  of 
some  of  their  number ;  all  these  soon  became  the  subjects 
of  search  after  knowledge,  which  became  the  more  fascinat- 
ing from  its  being  laborious.  If  the  author  has  succeeded 
in  throwing  any  light  upon  the  darkness  which  hides  the 
past;  if  he  has  recorded  information  which  otherwise  would 
have  been  lost,  and  if  the  researches  he  has  made  shall  in- 
duce others  to  follow  the  path  he  has  marked  out,  he  will 
feel  that  his  labors  have  not  been  in  vain. 

It  only  remains  to  express  our  sincere  thanks  for  the  valu- 
able assistance  received  from  those  who  have  sympathized 
with  the  work,  and  especially  to  John  De  Witt  Warner,  Esq., 


X  PREFACE. 

for  access  to  the  papers  of  the  Philipse  family,  without  which 
the  task  of  writing  the  History  of  the  County  would  be  at- 
tempted in  vain.  To  his  assistant,  Mr.  Henry  S.  Concklin,  we 
are  under  obligations  for  many  favors  willingly  rendered. 
The  kindness  and  courtesy  of  Edward  C.  Weeks,  Esq.,  County 
Clerk,  will  ever  be  a  source  of  fond  remembrance,  and  we 
wish  to  return  thanks  to  our  respected  friend,  Jeremiah  W. 
Hazen,  Esq.,  Sheriff  of  the  County,  for  the  facilities  afforded 
for  visiting  all  parts  of  the  region  whose  history  we  have 
attempted  to  narrate.  To  render  acknowledgment  to  Wil- 
liam J.  Blake,  Esq.,  whose  History  of  Putnam  County  has 
preceded  our  own,  is  a  pleasure  as  well  as  a  duty.  While 
to  Mr.  Philip  H.  Smith,  the  Historian  of  Dutchess  County, 
we  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude,  for  assistance  in  locating  many 
ancient  landmarks,  the  memory  of  which  has  passed  away. 
We  are  equally  indebted  to  Hon.  Ambrose  Ryder,  who  pre- 
pared the  Bench  and  Bar  Chapter,  Dr.  J.  Q.  Adams,  the 
author  of  the  Medical  History,  James  A.  Foshay,  for  the 
Chapter .  on  Education,  Gen.  James  Ryder,  for  the  Chapter 
on  Militia,  and  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Reed,  for  preparing  the 
map  of  the  County. 

And  also  to  Rev.  W.  S.  Clapp,  of  Carmel,  Hon.  Saxton 
Smith,  of  Putnam  Valley;  Dr.  N.  W.  Wheeler,  of  Patterson; 
Frank  Wells,  Esq.,  of  Southeast;  and  Col.  Thomas  B.  Arden,  of 
Philipstown,  for  assistance  on  the  History  of  their  respective 
towns;  and  to  Hon.  Edward  Wright,  Hon.  William  Wood, 
Hon.  George  McCabe,  Hon.  Samuel  H.  Everett,  District  At- 
torney A.  J.  Miller,  Charles  H.  Ludington,  Esq.,  New  York 
City,  and  the  Clergy  and  Press  of  the  County. 

With  these  words,  the  author  lays  down  his  pen,  and  con- 
cludes the  task  which  has  so  long  been  a  pleasure.  He 
ventures  to  hope  that  his  labor  will  be  appreciated  long  after 
he  is  dust,  and  that  whoever  attempts  a  similar  task,  in 
the  future,  will  accept  his  base  although  they  jnay  enlarge 
his  building. 

William  S.  Pelletreau. 


HISTORY  OF  PDTNAM  COUNTY. 


JNTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


EARLY   DISCOVERIES. 


THE  discovery  of  America  is  the  boundary  between  the 
Middle  Ages  and  modern  history.  A  numerous  train  of 
adventurers  followed  the  track  that  the  great  Columbus  had 
shown,  and  for  awhile  the  governments  of  Spain  and  Portugal 
were  the  rulers  of  all  that  was  known  of  the  Western  World. 
The  Pope,  in  the  plenitude  of  his  then  existing  power,  assumed 
the  authority  to  divide  all  lands  not  yet  discovered,  between 
these  nations,  and  greed  for  gold,  which  was  the  inspiring  spirit 
of  their  adventure,  soon  led  to  the  conquest  of  those  lands 
which  abounded  with  precious  metals  and  promised  boundless 
wealth  to  the  conquerors  in  return  for  their  exposure  and  toil. 
But  the  true  nature  of  the  newly  discovered  lands  was  not  known 
till  long  years  after.  To  the  early  Spanish  voyagers,  America 
was  but  a  distant  portion  of  the  Indies,  and  the  name  of 
Indians,  which  was  giveji  to  the  inhabitants,  took  its  origin 
from  this  error,  which,  raough  long  since  exploded,  is  still  per- 
petuated in  memory  by  the  name  which  is  likely  to  endure 
when  the  last  relic  of  aboriginal  life  has  vanished  from  the  con- 
tinent. When  at  last  it  dawned  ujion  the  minds  of  Europeans 
that  America  was  indeed  a  continent  which  interposed  between 
them  and  the  Indies,'  then  it  became  the  object  of  search  to  find 
a  passage  through,  or  around,  the  new  found  lands,  which 
should  be  a  shorter  route  to  that  far  distant  land.  It  was  for 
this  purpose  that  every  bay  and  river  along  the  Atlantic  coast 
was  carefully  explored  in  the  vain  hope  that  some  one  of  them 
might  be  the  anxiously  sought  for  passage  to  the  far  oflf  South 
Sea,  across  which  their  vessels  might  sail  to  what  was  then  the 
synonym  of  wealth,  the  Indies. 
1 


2  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

The  power  of  Spain  and  Portugal  precluded  all  attempts  on 
the  part  of  the  northern  nations  to  make  discoveries  in  South 
America,  or  to  the  south  of  Florida,  the  story  of  whose  dis- 
covery by  the  heroic  adventurer,  in  his  vain  quest  for  the 
fountain  of  youth,  seems  a  fragment  from  the  realms  of  fable. 
But  expeditions  from  France  and  England  soon  found  their  way 
to  the  northern  coast  of  the  New  World,  and  in  1524  Giovanni 
da  Verazzano,  a  Florentine  navigator  in  the  service  of  Francis  I, 
of  France,  made  a  voyage  along  the  eastern  coast  of  what  are 
now  the  Southern  and  Middle  States  of  the  Union,  and  from 
the  account  which  he  gave  it  was  long  believed  that  he  was  the 
first  to  enter  the  harbor  of  New  York,  though  the  researches  of 
modern  historians  have  done  much  to  throw  doubt  upon  the 
claims  of  discovery  which  have  been  made  for  him.  Whatever 
may  be  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the  account  attributed  to  him, 
it  is  certain  that  no  results  followed  his  discoveries,  no  .colonies 
were  planted,  and  for  long  years  his  voyage  seems  to  have  been 
forgotten. 

In  the  year  1497,  Sebastian  Cabot,  a  navigator  in  the  service 
of  England,  sailed  along  the  American  coast  from  the  38th  to 
the  58th  parallel.  This  was  the  origin  of  the  English  claim  to 
all  that  region  of  country,  a  claim  which  was  destined  in  after 
years  to  be  sustained,  and  the  benefits  of  which  we  as  a  nation 
now  enjoy. 

It  remains  to  state  the  circumstances  under  which  the  Dutch 
became  the  founders  of  the  territory  now  comprising  the  State 
of  New  York.  An  association  of  merchants  was  established  in 
Holland,  having  for  its  object  the  long  cherished  scheme  of 
finding  the  northeast  route  to  China.  The  "Company  of 
Foreign  Countries"  had,  in  the  year  1594,  equipped  three 
vessels,  to  make  the  search.  After  a  long  and  tedious  voyage 
in  which  they  were  beset  with  ice,  they  returned  unsuccessful. 
In  1595,  seven  more  vessels  tried  the  same  experiment,  but  with 
no  better  success.  The  next  year  the  Council  of  Amsterdam 
undertook  the  en|ierprise  and  sent  two  vessels  on  the  hopeless 
search.  One  of  these  was  shipwrecked  on  the  stormy  coast  of 
Nova  Zembla,  and  its  pilot,  the  famed  Barentz,  found  a  watery 
grave,  while  the  other  returned,  driven  back  as  it  were  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Storm,  that  seemed  to  guard  the  entrance  to  the 
Eastern  World. 

A  sudden  change  in  the  direction  of  these  attempts  was  soon 


GENERAL   HISTOET.  3 

after  made  by  an  unlocked  for  circumstance.  One  Cornelius 
Houtman,  "a  shrewd  Hollander,"  being  in  Portugal,  took 
occasion  to  gain  all  the  information  he  could  from  the  navigators 
of  that  country  respecting  the  Indies,  and  especially  concerning 
the  newly  discovered  route  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
The  authorities  looking  upon  his  inquiries  with  suspicion  he 
was  arrested  and  fined.  As  the  only  means  by  which  he  could 
regain  his  liberty  was  by  the  payment  of  a  fine  which  was 
beyond  his  means,  he  wrote  to  several  merchants  in  Amsterdam 
narrating  the  circumstances  and  proposing  that  if  they  would 
pay  the  fine  he  in  return  would  communicate  to  them  the 
information  he  had  gained.  This  offer  was  accepted,  and  in 
1595  a  fleet  of  four  vessels  sailed  from  the  Texel,  under  the 
command  of  Houtman  and  others,  bound  on  the  southern  route 
to  the  Indies.  At  the  expiration  of  two  years  and  four  months 
they  returned  with  their  object  accomplished,  and  richly  laden 
with  the  products  of  the  far  off  land.  The  success  of  this 
enterprise  led  to  the  formation  of  other  companies,  and  the 
rivalry  between  them  was  so  great  that  in  1602  it  was  rendered 
necessary  to  unite  them  all,  and  hence  the  origin  of  the  great 
"  Dutch  East  India  Company,"  which  in  after  years  astonished 
all  Europe  with  its  extensive  power  and  dominion. 

A  company  had  been  formed  in  London  for  the  purpose  of 
exploring  the  Arctic  for  a  new  route  to  China.  In  accordance 
with  this  "project  they  contemplated  three  expeditions:  one  to 
the  north,  one  to  the  northeast  and  the  third  to  the  northwest. 
To  conduct  these  voyages  they  employed  Henry  Hudson,  a 
name  as  enduring  as  any  on  the  rolls  of  fame.  In  the  employ 
of  this  company  he  made  two  voyages,  both  of  which  were 
unsuccessful.  The  company  declined  to  take  any  farther  risks, 
and  refused  to  equip  the  expedition  for  a  third  voyage.  Hudson 
then  went  to  Holland  and  after  some  effort  enlisted  their  sym- 
pathies in 'favor  of  his  scheme.  The  Amsterdam  Directors 
finally  succeeded  in  getting  a  majority  of  votes  in  its  favor,  and 
they  fitted  out  a  small  vessel  called  the  "Half  Moon"  and 
gave  the  command  to  Hudson.  On  the  'Gth  of  May,  1609,  he 
sailed  from  the  Texel  with  a  crew  of  twenty,  who  were  partly 
English  and  partly  Dutch.  After  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  he 
arrived  upon  our  shores,  and  on  the  12tli  of  September,  entered 
the  Bay  of  New  York,  as  a  new  discoverer. 

"  His  bark  the  only  ship, 

Where  a  thousand  now  are  seen." 


4  HISTOEY   OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

Continuing  his  voyage,  he  sailed  for  150  miles  up  the  river  that 
bears  his  name,  still  hoping  that  the  dream  of  long  years  was 
about  to  prove  a  reality,  and  he  had  discovered  a  new  passage 
to  the  Southern  Ocean.  But  the  freshness  of  the  water  as  he 
ascended  toward  its  source  soon  convinced  him  that  he  was 
upon  a  river,  and  not  upon  a  strait  between  two  oceans,  and  his 
voyage  completed,  he  returned  to  Holland. 

In  1610,  another  vessel  was  sent  to  trade  with  the  natives, 
and  in  1612  two  more  followed,  and  a  small  fort  and  a  few 
buildings  were  erected  at  the  southern  extremity  of  Manhattan 
Island,  and  the  place  was  named  New  Amsterdam.  In  1614, 
the  States  General  of  Holland  granted  a  charter  to  the  mer- 
chants engaged  in  these  expeditions,  and  exclusive  privileges 
were  granted  to  them  for  a  term  of  years.  One  Hendrick 
Christiansen  had  ascended  the  river  and  a  trading  post  and  fort 
were  erected  on  the  present  site  of  Albany,  which  was  named 
Fort  Orange,  and  in  1621  the  Dutch  West  India  Company  was 
established.  The  emigration  to  the  new  colony  began  in  1623. 
As  might  be  expected,  many  of  the  people  who  were  anxious  to 
emigrate  and  seek  new  homes  in  the  wilderness  were  not  pos- 
sessed of  the  means  necessary  to  enable  them  to  accomplish  their 
purpose,  while  persons  of  comfortable  circumstances  were 
under  no  inducement  to  leave  the  comforts  of  their  native  land. 
This  led  to  the  system  of  patroonships,  by  which  wealthy  men 
obtained  grants  of  large  extents  of  land  and  sent  settlers  at 
their  own  expense,  who  became  their  tenants,  and  paid  a  small, 
and  sometimes  merely  nominal  rent,  for  the  lands  which  they 
occupied.  At  first  settlements  were  only  made  near  the  two 
forts  at  New  Amsterdam  and  Orange,  but  as  the  danger  from 
the  Indians  decreased  they  became  more  widely  extended.  In 
1629,  the  company  offered  tracts  to  patroons  who  should  found 
settlements  of  fifty  or  more  adults,  and  several  availed  them- 
selves of  this  offer. 

Peter  Minuit  was  appointed  governor  in  1626,  and  was  recalled 
in  1633,  and  Wouter  Van  Twiller  was  appointed  in  his  place. 
It  was  during  his  administration  that  the  controversy  between 
the  English  and  Dutch  concerning  the  jurisdiction  commenced, 
the  former  claiming  under  the  discoveries  made  by  Cabot,  and 
the  grant  which  had  been  made  by  King  James  I,  to  the  Ply- 
mouth Company.  On  the  other  side,  the  Dutch  claimed  full 
ownership  as  being  the  first  to  take  possession  and  establish 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  0 

colonies,  and  that  the  claim  of  England  was  null  and  void  on 
the  grounds  that  '■'■  Prescriptio  sine  possessione  haud  valeaf'' 
(Prescription  without  possession  is  of  little  worth).  In  1638, 
Van  T wilier  was  succeeded,  in  the  government  of  the  colony, 
by  William  Kief  t,  but  owing  to  hostilities  which  occurred  with 
the  Indians  on  Long  Island  and  for  which  Kief t  was  censured, 
he  was  recalled,  and  was  succeeded  in  1647,  by  the  famous 
Peter  Stuyvesant,  the  greatest  and  the  last  of  the  Dntch  gov- 
ernors. In  the  year  1664,  King  Charles  II,  of  England,  granted 
to  his  brother,  James,  Duke  of  York  and  Albany,  all  the 
territory  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Delaware,  including 
the  entire  Dutch  possessions.  To  enforce  this  grant  a  fleet  was 
sent  under  the  command  of  Col.  Richard  Nicolls,  who 
entered  the  harbor  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  provinces. 
After  much  fruitless  negotiation,  the  Articles  of  Surrender  were 
signed  by  Governor  Stuyvesant  and  the  Dutch  power  ceased 
to  exist.  As  all  the  inhabitants  were  confirmed  in  the  full  pos- 
session of  their  property,  the  transfer  of  the  government  made 
little  change  in  cheir  circumstances.  The  name  New  Amster- 
dam was  changed  to  New  York,  and  Fort  Orange  to  Albany, 
new  laws  were  prescribed  for  the  province,  and  courts  were 
established.  Although  the  change  cannot  be  defended  upon 
any  abstract  principles  of  right,  yet  it  can  be  looked  upon  in 
no  other  light  than  as  the  making  of  the  province,  as  the  Nor- 
man Conquest  was  the  making  of  England. 
■  Richard  Nicolls,  the  first  English  governor,  resigned  in  1668 
and  was  succeeded  by  Col.  Francis  Lovelace,  and  New  York 
was  retaken  by  the  DutSh  in  1673,  but  reverted  to  the  English 
in  the  following  year.  Sir  Edmund  Andros  was  commissioned 
governor,  and  proving  a  despotic  ruler  he  became  unpopular 
with  the  people  and  involved  the  province  in  difiiculties  with 
the  neighboring  colonies.  He  was  recalled,  and  his  successor, 
Thomas  Dongan,  took  charge  of  the  government  in  1683,  and 
the  first  Colonial  Assembly  was  convened  and  many  needed 
reforms  were  made.  About  this  time  Charles  II  died  and  was 
succeeded  on  the  throne  by  his  brother,  who  reigned  as  James 
II.  A  bigoted  and  narrow-minded  tyrant,  he  refused  to  confirm 
the  privileges  which  had  been  granted  when  he  was  duke,  pro- 
hibited the  Assembly,  forbade  the  establishment  of  the  printing 
press,  and  filled  the  principal  offices  of  the  province  with 
Roman  Catholics.     In  1689  King  James  was  driven  from  the 


6  HISTORT   OP  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

throne  and  William  and  Mary  began  their  reign.  Jacob  Leisler, 
a  prominent  merchant  of  New  York,  seized  the  fort  in  New- 
York  for  the  new  sovereign  and  became  for  a  time  the  actual 
governor.  Upon  the  accession  of  Col.  Sloughter,  who  was 
commissioned  governor  in  1689  and  arrived  in  March,  1691, 
Leisler  refused  to  surrender  the  fort  at  first.  For  this  act  he 
was  tried  for  treason  by  a  special  commission,  and  through  the 
influence  of  his  enemies  was  condemned  to  death.  The  governor 
refused  to  sign  the  death  warrant,  but  was  persuaded  to  do  so 
while  intoxicated,  and  before  he  had  recovered  from  his  intoxi- 
cation the  ill-fated  victim  was  in  eternity.  Governor  Sloughter 
died  in  July  of  the  same  year,  and  in  1692  Benjamin  Fletcher 
arrived  with  a  commission  as  governor  and  this  brings  us  down 
to  the  period  when  the  History  of  Putnam  County  may  be  said 
to  begin. 

It  remains  to  state  the  regulations  and  circumstances  under 
which  grants  of  land  were  made  in  the  new  province  of  New 
York.  When  the  Dutch  settlers  first  began  to  found  their  set- 
tlements, "'The  land  was  all  before  them  where  to  choose." 
The  low  lands  that  reminded  them  of  their  native  Holland,  and 
whose  rich  fertility  promised  abundant  harvest  with  easy 
tillage,  were  the  first  to  be  occupied  and  here  they  established 
their  "SowjeWes"  or  farms.  While  the  early  settlers  of  New 
England  invariably  settled  in  villages  where  the  inhabitants 
could  be  a  mutual  protection,  the  Dutch  "  Boers,''''  or  farmers, 
seemed  possessed  with  a  desire  to  reside,  each  on  his  own 
plantation  and  remote  from  the  rest,  and  surrounded  only  by 
his  family  and  dependents.  This  principle  of  separation  was 
continued  even  after  death,  and  it  was  the  almost  universal  cus- 
tom among  the  Dutch  settlers,  and  their  descendants  for  many 
generations,  for  each  family  to  have  a  private  burying  ground, 
and  to  be  buried  on  their  own  land.  These  little  cemeteries, 
overgrown  with  weeds  and  briars,  and  in  a  condition  of  utter 
neglect,  are  very  frequently  to  be  found  on  the  old  farms  of  the 
Dutch  settlements,  long  since  passed  into  the  hands  of  strangers, 
and  the  memory  of  the  early  inhabitants  only  known  by  tra- 
dition, and  the  few  names  inscribed  upon  tombstones  fast 
crumbling  to  decay. 

Both  under  the  Dutch  and  English  rx^le,  the  first  step  to  be 
taken  when  a  new  settlement  was  to  be  established,  was  to 
obtain  a  license  from  the  governor  to  purchase  the  land  from 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  7 

the  tribe  of  Indians,  who  claimed  to  be  the  owners.  This  license 
having  been  duly  procured,  an  interview  was  obtained  with  the 
sachems  of  the  tribe,  and  the  purchase  was  effected  in  exchange 
for  various  articles  of  European  manufacture,  seldom  amount- 
ing in  value  to  more  than  a  hundred  dollars,  and  generally  in- 
cluding a  little  rum.  When  the  license  and  purchase  were  duly 
entered  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  the  colony,  a  patent, 
issued  by  the  governor,  with  his  signature  and  the  seal  of  the 
province  affixed,  was  delivered  to  the  owner  and  recorded  at 
length  in  the  secretary's  office.  The  original  patents  were 
written  upon  parchment  in  the  elegant  hand-writing  of  a  pro- 
fessional copyist,  and  were  of  great  length,  with  all  the  repeti- 
tion and  verbiage  so  commonly  used  in  conveyances  of  land 
under  English  law,  while  the  seal  attached,  without  which  they 
were  of  no  value,  was  frequently  a  cake  of  wax,  several  inches 
in  diameter  and  of  proportionate  thickness,  impressed  with  the 
arms  of  the  province.  Though  many  of  these  original  docu- 
ments have  been  lost  and  only  exist  among  the  records  in 
Albany,  yet  some  are  in  existence  and  in  a  fine  state  of 
preservation. 

The  obtaining  of  grants  of  land  was  not  unfrequently  con- 
nected with  gross  abuses.  The  boundaries  were  generally 
stated  in  an  indefinite  manner,  the  extent  of  one  patent  very 
often  trespassed  upon  the  bounds  of  another,  and  the  result 
was  a  tract  of  "disputed  lands,"  a  fruitful  cause  of  litigation, 
generally  settled  by  commissioners  appointed  for  that  purpose. 
The  large  tracts  of  land  engrossed  by  single  individuals  ren- 
dered it  necessary  to  pass  a  law  limiting  the  amount  to  be  pur- 
chased by  any  one  person.  This,  however,  was  often  evaded 
by  several  persons  combining  in  the  purchase,  and  as  soon  as 
the  patent  was  obtained,  selling  out  their  shares  to  some  of  the 
number,  the  arrangement  having  been  made  in  advance.  Prior 
to  the  time  when  the  lands  now  included  within  the  limits  of 
Putnam  county  were  purchased,  many  tracts  of  land  had  been 
taken  up  and  settlements  established  on  both  sides  of  the  Hud- 
son River.  Farms  or  "Boweries"  had  been  laid  out  on  Man- 
hattan Island,  at  the  earliest  period.  In  1639,  Jonas  Bronck 
became  the  owner  of  a  tract  in  Westchester  county,  which 
derived  its  name  (Bronck' s  land)  from  him,  and  in  after  years 
was  known  as  Morrisania.  In  1646,  Adrian  Van  der  Donk  pur- 
chased the  land  now  included  in  the  city  of  Yonkers  and  part 


8  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

of  New  York  city  adjoining,  and  established  the  colony  of 
Colendonk,  which  was  afterward  purchased  by  Frederick 
Philipse  and  was  patented  to  him  as  the  Manor  of  Philipsbnrg, 
in  1693. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  river  a  colony  had  been  founded  at  a 
very  early  date  near  Tappan.  This  was  destroyed  by  the 
Indians  and  abandoned.  In  1686,  the  Orangetown  Patent  was 
granted,  the  most  southerly  part  of  Rockland  county.  At 
Nyack  a  settlement  was  first  made  by  Class  Jans  Van  Pur- 
marent,  and  his  son,  Cornelius  Classen,  obtained  a  patent  for 
the  land  in  1671.  The  land  at  Haverstraw  was  purchased,  in 
1666,  by  Balthazar  De  Hart  and  his  brother.  Jacobus.  The 
greater  part  of  Clarkstown,  in  Rockland  county,  was  embraced 
in  the  patent  of  Kakiat,  granted  to  Daniel  Honan  and  Michael 
Howden,  in  1696.  The  true  boundary  between  New  York  and 
New  Jersey  was  not  settled  until  a  later  date,  and  as  late  as 
1671  it  was  thought  that  the  bounds  of  the  latter  extended  as 
far  north  as  Stony  Point. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  lands  by  Oroton  River  were 
sold  to  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt  in  1683.  Ryck  Abrahamsen 
Lent  purchased  the  lands  now  the  southern  part  of  the  village 
of  Peekskill  in  1685.  The  northern  part  of  Peekskill  was 
granted  to  one  Hugh  McGrregory  in  1691,  while  to  the  north  of 
this  and  extending  to  the  Highlands  was  a  tract  patented  to 
John  Knight,  in  1686,  and  sold  by  him  to  Gov.  Thomas  Dongan, 
in  1687,  and  with  the  other  purchases  were  combined  in  the 
great  patent  known  as  the  Manor  of  Cortlandt,  granted  to 
Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt,  in  1697.  As  the  north  line  of 
the  Manor  of  Cortlandt  was  the  south  boundary  of  the  tract 
now  included  in  Putnam  county,  the  description  is  given  as 
found  in  the  original  patent,  "  Running  northerly  along  Hud- 
son River  as  the  river  runs,  unto  the  north  side  of  a  high 
hill  called  Anthony's  Nose,  to  a  red  cedar  tree,  which  marks 
the  southermost  bounds  of  the  land  now  in  the  tenure  and 
occupation  of  Mr.  Adolph  Philipse,  and  from  the  said  red 
cedar  tree,  another  due  easterly  line  running  into  the  woods 
twenty  English  miles."  The  "  twenty  English  miles  "  extended 
to  the  boundary  between  the  colonies  of  New  York  and  Con- 
necticut as  established. 

On  the  17th  of  October,  1685,  a  patent  was  granted  to  Francis 
Rumbout,  Jacobus  Kipp  and  Stephanus  Van    Cortlandt    for 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  9 

"All  that  tract  of  land  situated  on  the  east  side  of  Hudson 
river,  beginning  from  the  south  side  of  a  creek  called  the  Fish 
Kill,  and  by  the  Indians,  Mateawani,  thence  north  along  the 
river  500  rods  beyond  the  great  Wappink  Kill,  thence  into  the 
woods  four  hours  going,  sixteen  English  miles,  keeping  500  rods 
north  of  Wappinger's  creek.  Also  from  the  said  Fish  Kill  or 
the  creek  called  Mateawam,  along  said  Fish  Kill  into  the  vpoods 
at  the  foot  of  the  High  Hills  including  all  the  reed  or  low  lands 
at  the  south  side  of  said  creek,  with  an  easterly  line  four  hours 
going,  sixteen  English  miles,  thence  to  the  north  side  of  Wap- 
pinger's creek  as  aforesaid."  This  tract,  which  is  generally 
called  the  Rumbout  Patent,  was  originally  purchased  by  Fran- 
cis Rumbout,  Jacobus  Kipp  and  Guillian  Ver  Planck.  The  last 
agreed  to  sell  his  share  to  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt  but  died 
before  making  the  transfer.  His  widow  and  executrix  married 
Jacobus  Kipp,  and  they  and  Francis  Rumbout  sold  one  third 
to  Van  Cortlandt  and  the  patent  was  granted  to  them  as  stated 
above. 

On  the  22d  of  April,  1697,  a  patent  was  granted  to  Henry 
Beekman  for  "All  that  tract  of  land  in  Dutchess  County, 
beginning  at  the  north  side  of  the  Highlands,  at  the  east  of  the 
lands  of  Col.  Van  Cortlandt  and  Company,'  so  far  as  the  line 
between  the  Province  of  New  York  and  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut extends."  These  two  tracts  and  the  Manor  of  Cort- 
landt became  afterward  the  boundaries  on  the  north  and  south, 
of  what  is  now  Putnam  county.  It  is  not  strange  that  the 
range  of  lofty  mountains,  which  presented  no  attractions  for 
the  cultivator  of  the  soil,  should  have  remained  unpurchased 
while  there  were  fertile  lands  to  be  procured,  but  the  time  was 
soon  to  come  for  a  man  who  should  call  the  rugged  mountains 
his  own. 

'The  Rumbout  Patent. 


CHAPTER  II. 


ADOLPH   PHILIPSE  AND  HIS  PATENT. 

AS  stated  in  the  previous  chapter,  the  first  step  usnalJy  taken 
by  a  person  who  wished  to  procure  a  grant  of  land  from 
the  colonial  government,  was  to  obtain  from  the  governor  a 
license  to  purchase  the  desired  tract  from  the  native  occupants 
of  the  soil.  The  first  persons  who  thus  made  application  for 
the  land  now  embraced  in  Putnam  county  were  Lambert  Dor- 
landt  and  Jan  Sybrant  (Seberinge).  Of  these  two  men  we  have 
very  little  knowledge  except  that  they  were  among  the  emigrants 
who  came  from  Holland,  in  the  early  days  of  New  Amsterdam. 
From  the  New  York  Colonial  Records  it  appears  that  on  De- 
cember 2d,  1680,  Lambert  Dorlandt  had  a  tract  of  130  acres  on 
the  north  side  of  Staten  Island,  while  as  early  as  1669  Jan  Sy- 
brantse  was  indebted  one  bushel  of  wheat  for  quit  rent  for  his 
plantation  in  the  same  locality.  They  were  of  the  ordinary 
rank  of  Dutch  burghers,  who  held  no  official  station  and  whose 
names  would  have  long  since  ceased  to  be  in  remembrance,  ex- 
cept as  incidentally  mentioned  in  the  early  records.  These  men 
obtained  from  the  Indians  a  deed  for  a  tract  of  land  which  em- 
braced the  western  part  of  the  present  county  of  Putnam,  in 
1691,  having  first  obtained  the  license  of  the  governor  for  that 
purpose.     Of  this  license  the  following  is  a  copy: 

"By  the  Commander  in  Chiefe. 

"  Whereas  John  Rooloofe  Sybran  hath  Desired  ye  liberty  and 
Lycense  to  Purchase  of  the  Indian  Natives  A  Certain  tract  or 
parcell  of  Land  lying  and  being  on  Hudson  river  in  the  high 
lands  at  a  place  called  the  Butterberge  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river.  These  may  Certifie  that  the  said  John  Roeloflfe  Sybran 
hath  hereby  Liberty  and  Lycense  Granted  him,  to  purchase  the 
said  lands  before  menconed,  Provided  the  same  be  not  taken  up 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  11 

or  appropriated  by  any  other,  and  the  purchase  to  be  made  on 
or  before  the  Second  day  of  June  and  returned  into  the  Sectys 
office  in  order  for  obtaining  a  Patent  which  is  to  be  taken  out 
before  the  first  day  of  July  or  else  this  license  to  be  voyd  and 
of  none  effect.  For  which  this  Shall  be  your  warant.  Given 
under  my  hand  and  seal  att  flfort  James,  the  26  October  1687. 

"  Atho.  Brockholtz." 

"  Passed  ye  Secretarys  office 
John  Kwight  Secretary. 

"  Entered  June  15  1697." 

In  accordance  with  this  license,  Sybrant  and  his  partner,  Dor- 
landt,  obtained  the  following  Indian  deed. 

"  Know  All  Men  by  these  Presents  that  wee  Anguikenagg 
Raentagg  Wassawrawigh  Mannakahorint,  Moakenap,  Weawei- 
noww,  Awanganugh,  for  and  in  consideration  of  a  competent 
som  of  current  money,  of  this  Province  fo  us  in  hand  paid  by 
Lambard  Borland  and  Jean  Seabrant,  at  or  before  the  ensealing 
and  delivery  of  these  presents,  the -Receipt  whereof  we  and  each 
of  us  doeth  hereby  acknowledge  to  have  received,  and  to  be 
therewith  fully  satisfied  and  contented,  and  of  and  from  ye  same 
and  every  part  and  Parcell  thereof  doth  hereby  fully  freely  and 
absolutely  acquit,  exonerate  and  discharge  the  said  Lambard 
Dorlandt  and  John  Seabrant  their  heirs  executors  and  Admin- 
istrators and  every  of  them,  firmly  by  these  presents.  Doth 
grant  and  sell  unto  the  said  Lambard  Dorlandt  and  John  Sea- 
brant their  heirs  and  assigns,  all  that  Certain  Tract  or  Parcell 
of  Land  lying  and  being  in  ye  highlands  on  the  east  side  of 
Hlidson  river,  beginning  at  the  north  side  of  a  Certain  hill  called 
Anthonys  nose,  by  a  redd  Seader  marked  tree,  and  along  said 
river  northerly,  to  the  land  belonging  to  Stephanus  Van  Cort- 
landt  and  the  heirs  of  Francis  Rombout  and  Guillian  Ver 
Planck  and  eastwards  in  the  woods  as  farr  along  the  said  lands 
of  Steph.  Cortlandt  and  Co.  aforesaid  to  a  marked  tree;  together 
with  Pollepels  Island,  and  all  ye  woods,  underwoods,  ti-ees, 
timber,  meadows,  marshes,  lowlands,  rivers,  rivolets,  swamps, 
thereto  belonging  or  in  any  ways  appertaining.  To  Have  and  to 
Hold  unto  the  said  Lambard  Dorlandt  and  Jno.  Seabrant,  their 
heirs  and  assigns  for  ever.  To  the  only  proper  use  benefit  and 
behoofe  to  them  the  said  Lambard  Dorlandt  and  Jno.  Seabrant, 
their  heirs  and  assigns  forever.     Witness  our  hands  and  seals 


12  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

att  New  York  this  ISth,  <iay  of  July,  in  the  3d  year  of  their 
Majesties  Keigne  and  in  the  yeare  of  our  Lord  1691. 
Signed  sealed  and  delivered    The  mark  of  X  Anguikenagg. 

in  the  presence  of  The  mark  of  X  Raentagg. 

S.  Van  Cortlandt.  The  mark  of  X  Wassawrawigh. 

JSTicHO.  Reynells.  The  mark  of  X  Mannakahorint. 

The  mark  X  of  Clowes.       The  mark  of  X  Moakenap. 

the  Indian  Interpreter  The  mark  of  X  Weaweinoww. 

and  witness  to  these  The  mark  of  X  Awanganugh. 

presents. 

"Memorandum,  that  the  payment  and  satisfaction  for  the 
above  land  is  made  in  my  presence  to  their  full  content.  Wit- 
ness my  hand  the  15th  day  of  July  1691,  in  New  Yorke. 

"  S.  Van  Cortlandt." 

The  purchasers  of  this  tract,  Dorlandt  and  Sybrant,  did  not 
obtain  a  patent  for  the  land  from  the  governor  but  transferred 
and  sold  all  their  right  to  the  premises  to  Adolph  Philipse,  a 
wealthy  merchant  of  New  York,  in  1697,  as  will  appear  by  the 
following: 

DEED   TO   ADOLPH   PHILIPSE. 

"This  Indenture  made  the  16th  day  of  June  Anno  Domini 
1697  in  the  ninth  year  of  the  Reigne  of  our  Sovereign  Lord 
William  the  third  by  the  Grace  of  God  King  of  England  Scot- 
land France  and  Ireland  Defender  of  the  faith  and  Between 
Lambert  Dorlandt  and  Jan  Seabrandt  of  the  one  party,  and 
Adolph  Philipse  of  the  City  of  New  York  merchant,  of  the 
other  party,  Witnesseth,  that  whereas  Jan  Sybrean  did  obtain 
lycense  from  Anthony  Brockholls  Esq.  Commander  then  in 
Chief e  of  this  Province,  for  the  purchasing  vacant  lands  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Hudson  river,  at  the  Highlands,  by  virtue  of 
which  lycense  he  the  said  Jan  Sj^bran,  together  with  the  said 
Lambert  Dorlandt  his  partner,  did  purchase  from  the  native  In- 
dian Proprietors  all  that  vacant  and  unimproved  land  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Hudson  river  called  the  Highlands,  from  the 
north  side  of  the  hill  called  Antonios  Nose  to  the  land  of  Col. 
Stephen  Cortlandt  and  Company,  with  PoUopels  island,  and 
backwards  into  the  woods  so  farr  as  the  land  of  Col.  Cortlandt 
and  Company  extendeth,  and  have  paid  and  satisfied  for  the 
same,  but  have  not  yet  obtained  any  Patent  for  the  same.    Now 


Fac-similE,  much  reducEd  in  size,  ai  deed  hy  Wapplngsr  Indians  to 
Dnrland  and  SealiTant,  July  ISth  1B31, 


r 


■    J    ^.t.-a>LJ^liWV^, 


'■^e-e^U^rj    af'^f^^'-f  '^f~e-  '^^    ^^fi^c-fi'/^ 


>£«.»fJ/a^ti*s'  ^f  ^:i^n.JXv4-'^- a^^^fL^iJ ..itSt^^ 


J" 


--wvSfi- 


V-  l^l^W^i'*^  '  t'^^'^'f*' /^^t^-p^^rrt* 


"^At^H.   ^  .»»^^,fe^  ^  V  ^,*^  J&r^-  tn^f     ^  • 

■"y-^  W\.  'fe-yt' 


>^.:i-My^-, 


?r 


^ 


fy   Viy, 


^J 


ARTOTVPE,    E.    BlERSTfcDT, 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  13 

the  said  Jan  Sybran  and  Lambert  Dorlandt  for  a  valuable  con- 
sideration to  them  in  hand  paid  by  the  said  Adolph  Philipse,  the 
receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged  and  themselves  there- 
with to  be  fully  contented  and  paid:  have  granted  bargained 
and  sold,  and  by  these  presents,  do  grant  bargain  and  sell  unto 
the  said  Adolph  Philipse  all  the  said  tract  of  land  Island  and 
premises  together  with  all  their  right  title  and  interest  property, 
claime  and  demand,  thereunto,  or  to  any  part  or  parcel  of  the 
said  tract,  of  land.  Island  and  premises.  To  have  and  to  hold 
the  said  tract  of  land.  Island  and  premises  limited  and  bounded 
as  aforesaid,  unto  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  his  heirs  and  as- 
signs, to  the  sole  and  only  proper  use  benefit  and  behoof  of  him 
the  said  Adolph  Philipse  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  And 
for  the  further  confirmation  and  assurance  of  the  said  tract  of 
land.  Island  and  premises  they  do  deliver,  up  unto  the  said 
Adolph  Philipse  the  said  lycense  and  deed  of  sale  from  the  In- 
dians for  the  said  tract  of  land  Island  and  premises,  at  the  time 
of  ensealing  and  delivery  of  these  presents,  and  do  likewise 
testify  their  consent  and  desire  by  the  ensealing  and  delivery  of 
these  presents  that  a  Patent  be  granted  iinder  the  seal  of  the 
Province  for  the  said  tract  of  land.  Island  and  premises  to  hold 
to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  In 
witness  whereof  the  partyes  to  these  presents  their  hands  and 
seals  have  interchangably  sett,  the  day  and  year  first  above 
written. 


"Sealed  and  d.  d.  in  Jan  Sebeeinge, 

ye  presence  of  us  Lambert  Dorlandt." 

Tho.  Young, 
David  Jamison. 

In  this  way  began  the  ownership  of  the  famous  family  whose 
name  and  deeds  form  so  important  a  portion  of  the  annals  of 
the  county  and  State.  Adolph  Philipse  having  thus  acquired 
the  title  from  the  original  owners,  proceeded  at  once  to  take 
the  necessary  steps  for  obtaining  a  patent  for  his  lands,  and 
presented  in  due  form  the  following  petition  to  Benjamin 
Fletcher,  who  was  then  governor  of  the  province  of  New  York. 

"To  His  Excellency  Benjamin  Fletcher,  Captain  G-enerall, 
and  Governor  in  Chief  of  the  Province  of  JSTew  York. 

"The  humble  petition  of  Mr.  Adolph  Philipse  Sheweth, 
That  for  a  valuable  consideration,  your  Excellency's  petitioner 


14  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

has  purchased  from  Jan  Sybrante  and  Lambert  Dorlandt,  a  cer- 
tain tract  of  vacant  land  on  the  East  side  of  Hudson  river,  in 
Dutchess  County,  beginning  at  a  marked  cedar  on  the  north 
side  of  that  Hill  called  Anthony's  Nose,  and  stretching  along 
said  river  upward  to  the  land  of  Col.  Cortlandt  and  Company, 
and  stretching  backvi^ards  from  the  said  river  into  the  woods  as 
farr  as  the  land  of  Col.  Cortlandt  and  Company  aforesaid,  in- 
cluding Pollepells  island,  which  land  became  theirs  by  a  ly- 
cense  and  deed  but  was  never  yet  patented.  Your  Excellency's 
petitioner  being  desirous  to  make  some  improvements  thereon, 
and  especially  the  backward  parts  from  the  mountains,  there- 
fore hereby  prays  your  Excellency  to  grant  him  a  Patent  for 
the  same  and  that  the  bounds  *  *  may  be  the  dividing  line 
between  *  *  *  under  such  moderate  quit  rent  *  *  *  *, 
and  your  Excellency's  Petitioner  shall  as  in  duty  bound  ever 
pray. 


In  accordance  with  this  petition  Gov.  Fletcher  granted  the 
following: 

PATENT  TO  ADOLPH  PHILIPSE. 

"William  the  Third  by  the  Grace  of  God  King  of  Eng- 
land Scotland  France  and  Ireland,  Defender  of  the  faith  &c. 
To  all  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come  sendeth  Greeting 
Whereas  our  Loving  Subject  Adolph  Philips  of  our  City  of 
New  Yorke  Merchant  hath  by  his  peticon  presented  unto  our 
trusty  and  well  beloved  Benjamin  Fletcher  our  Captain  General 
and  Governor  in  Chiefe  of  our  Province  of  New  Yorke  and  Ter- 
ritoryes  Depending  thereon  in  America  &c.  prayed  our  grant 
and  confirmacon  of  a  certain  tract  of  land  in  our  Dutchess 
county,  scituate  lyeing  and  being  in  the  Highlands  on  the  East 
side  of  Hudson's  River  beginning  at  a  certain  Red  Cedar  Tree 
marked  on  the  North  side  of  the  Hill  commonly  called  An- 
thonys Nose,  which  is  Likewise  the  North  Bounds  of  Collonell 
Stevanus  Cortlandts  land  or  his  Manour  of  Cortlandt,  and  from 
thence  bounded  by  the  said  Hudson's  River  as  the  said  river 
runs  notherly  until  it  come  to  the  Creek  River  or  Run  of  Water 


KnnLPH  PHILTFSE-  "The  FatentBE"-  (ob,  1749.) 

Frnin  painting  In  paysEsslon  of 
Philips?-  G-nuverneur  fo.rnlly, 


ARTOTrPE,     E      eiERSTADT, 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  "  15 

commonly  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Great  fishkill  to 
the  Northward  and  above  the  said  Highlands,  which  is  like- 
wise the  Southward  bounds  of  another  Tract  of  Land  belonging 
to  the  said  Coll  Stephanus  Cortlandt  and  Company,  and  so 
Easterly  along  the  said  Coll  Cortlandts  line  and  the  South 
bounds  of  Coll  Henry  Beeckman  until  it  comes  twenty  Miles, 
or  until  the  Division  or  Petition  Line  between  our  Colony  of 
Connecticutt  and  our  said  Province,  and  Easterly  by  the  said 
Division  Line,  being  bounded  Northerly  and  Southerly  by  East 
and  West  Lines  unto  the  said  Division  line  between  our  said 
Collony  of  Connecticutt  and  this  our  Province  aforesaid,  the 
whole  being  bounded  Westward  by  the  said  Hudson  River, 
Northward  by  the  land  of  Coll  Cortlandt  and  Company  and  the 
land  of  Coll  Beckman,  Eastward  by  the  Partition  line  between 
our  Colony  of  Connecticutt  and  this  our  Province,  and 
Southerly  by  the  Mannour  of  Courtlandt  to  the  land  of  the  said 
Coll  Cortlandt,  including  therein  a  certaine  Island  at  the  North 
side  of  the  said  Highlands  called  Pollepells  Island;  which  rea- 
sonable request  we  being  willing  to  Grant.  Know  Ybe  that  of 
our  special  Grace  Certain  Knowledge  and  meere  mooon  We 
have  given  granted  ratifyed  and  confirmed,  and  by  these  Pres- 
ents Do  for  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors  Give  Grant  Ratify  and 
Confirme  unto  the  said  Adolph  Philips,  all  the  aforerecited 
Certaine  Tract  of  Land  and  Island  within  the  Limits  and  bounds 
aforesaid,  together  with  all  and  singular  the  Woods  underwoods 
Trees  Timber  Hills  Mountains  Valleys  Rocks  Quarrys  Marshes 
Swamps  Rivers  Runs  Rivoletts  Waters  Watercourses  Pools 
Ponds  Lakes  Fountains  Streams  Meadows  Fresh  and  Salt, 
Mines  Mineralls  (Silver  and  Gold  Mines  excepted)  fishing  fowl- 
ing hunting  and  hawking  and  all  other  Royaltyes  Rights  Mem- 
bers Benefites  Profites  advantages  Commodityes  Privileges 
Hereditaments  and  appurtenances  whatsoever,  unto  the  afore- 
recited certaine  Tract  of  Land  and  Island  within  the  limites  and 
bounds  aforesaid  together  with  all  and  singular  the  Woods  un- 
derwoods Trees  Timber  Hills  Mouniains  Valleys  Rocks  Quarrys 
Marshes  Swamps  Rivers  Runs  Rivoletts  Waters  Water  Courses 
Pools  Ponds  Lakes  Fountains  Streams  Meadows  Fresh  and  Salt, 
Mines  Mineralls  (Silver  and  Gold  Mines  excepted)  fishing  fowling 
hunting  and  hawking  and  all  other  Royaltyes  Rights  Members 
Benefites  Profites  Advantages  Commodityes  Privileges  Heredi- 
taments and  appurtenances  whatsoever  unto  the  aforerecited 


16  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM  ^COUNTY. 

Certaine  Tract  of  Land  and  Island  within  the  Limites  and 
bounds  aforesaid  belonging  or  in  any  wayes  appertaining  nnto 
the  said  Adolph  Philips  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  To  be 
holden  of  us  our  Heirs  and  Successors  in  Free  and  Common 
Soccage  as  of  our  Mannour  of  East  Greenwich  in  our  County 
of  Kent  within  our  Realme  of  England  Yielding  rendering  and 
paying  therefore  yearly  and  every  Year  unto  us  our  Heirs  and 
Successors  forever  at  our  City  of  New  Yorke  on  the  Feast  day 
of  the  Annunciation  of  our  blessed  Virgin  Mary  the  yearly 
rent  of  twenty  shillings  currant  money  of  our  said  province  in 
Lieu  and  8tead'[of  all  other  Rents  Services  Dues  Diitys  and 
Demands  whatsoever  for  the  said  Tract  of  land  Island  and 
Premises. 

"  In  Testimony  whereof  we  have  caused  the  Great  Seal  of  our 
Province  to  be  hereunto  affixed,  Witness  our  Trusty  and  well 
beloved  Benjamin  Fletcher  our  Captaine  Generall  and  Govern- 
our  in  Chief  of  our  Province  of  New  York  and  Territoryes  De- 
pending thereon  in  America  and  Vice  Admirall  of  the  same  our 
Lieut:  and  Commander  in  Chiefe  of  the  Militia  and  of  all  the 
forces  by  sea  and  land  within  our  Colony  of  Connecfcicutt  and 
of  all  the  forces  and  places  of  Strength  within  the  same  in 
Council  at  our  fort  in  New  Yorke  the  Seventeenth  Day  of  June 
in  the  Ninth  Year  of  our  Reigne  Annoq  Dm  1697.  Ben. 
Fletcher  by  his  Excellencys  Command 

"  David  Jamison, 
D'  Secr'y." 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Indian  deed  to  Dorlandt  and  Sybrant 
and  the  subsequent  transfers  only  conveyed  the  land  extending 
back  from  the  Hudson  River  to  a  marked  tree  on  the  line  of  the 
Rumbout  Patent  or  "  Land  of  Cortlandt  and  Company,"  while 
the  patent  of  Gov.  Fletcher  conveyed  all  the  land  between  the 
river  and  the  boundary  line  between  New  York  and  Connecti- 
cut. To  confirm  his  title  ro  this  additional  tract  Adolph  Philipse 
obtained  a  new  Indian  deed,  in  1702,  which  .embraced  the  fol- 
lowing extent: 

INDIAN   RELEASE  TO   ADOLPH   PHILIPSE. 

"Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  wee  Sipoworak,  Sow- 
wess,  Gachquaran,  Cowenhahum,  Hingham,  Meconop,  Cam- 
atacht,    Machgowwas,    Wassawawogh,    Perapowwes,    Kochhe- 


IN  jivd  ■«  vnyiasS' 


M  C  o  /I      . 

!LJ> 

JAMts 

S/lMUf;. 

''Ifi'/lBOf/f 

BAKen, 

0./ 

2,2. 

'^ 

2.0 

Joshua 

"04  A/ 

■ 

Bahmcs 

IHILAUD 

17 

AKtHlSALt) 

!%• 

KtNEpj 

Clark.  J^ 

1  ''> 

mii^l 

f  J 

V      / 

^   '^'•fX/^/VCil 

\       f  V 

\  7 

/y 

-7  1 

V 

Jam^s 

V 

"'•^MwOE^f 

^ 

_i  >  2 

'1 

\      U 

O,     CD 

/^       XfJ^IAH 

■^% 

^^1^0  OTS 

n;   - 

^\ 

5 

1^    2 

^ 

e> 

\ 

r- 

;2- 

Cao  w/ii.Lf,f 

;<" 

CoLoev 

.     0 

?2 

—~\^ 

A^      ^ 

ii 

"         \ 

I   t 

s  ^ 

w«-  6f^rr) 

S  r- 

u 

<° 

tn      <o 

■   Z 

r-  — 

!^       '-i 

^ 

p'"      / 

D 

/^K^HAIlo  i 

^ 
T5 
^ 

BfA  Pi  fjl 

1 

i 

9 

'■     0 

SahuJl 

y^^^\~s^,) 

/ 

7 

Sr 

eMMP5 

e-EDffc-f 

'^Lf  y/iwors 

C/./iK,^ 

^ 

<r 

5rt«U£l, 

/Ja  v/'a 

f 

*' 

T'^^'ATf^^j 

GENERAL  HISTORY.  17 

nond,  Wapatough,  Whannawhan,  Werachtacus,  Petawachpiefc 
and  Metapscht,  native  Indians  and  Proprietors  of  sundry  Tracts 
of  land  in  Dutchess  County  within  the  Province  of  New  York, 
in  America.  For  and  in  consideration  of  a  competent  sum  of 
good  and  lawfull  money  of  the  said  Province  of  New  York  to 
us  in  hand  paid  by  Adolph  Philipse  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
merchant  at  or  before  the  sealing  and  delivery  hereof,  have 
granted  bargained,  sold,  remised,  released  and  for  ever  quit- 
claimed unto  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  in  his  full  and  peaceable 
possession,  and  seizen  being,  and  to  his  heirs  and  assigns  for 
ever.  All  such  right,  estate,  title,  interest  property  claim  or 
demand,  as  we  the  said  Indians,  now  have,  had,  or  ought  to 
have,  in  or  to  all  that  our  certain  tract  of  land  in  Dutchess 
County,  in  the  Province  of  New  York  aforesaid,  situate  lying 
and  being  in  the  high  lands  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson 
river,  beginning  at  a  Certain  Red  Cedar  tree  marked,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  hill  commonly  called  Anthony's  nose,  which 
is  likewise  the  north  bounds  of  Col.  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandts 
land,  or  his  Manor  of  Cortlandt,  and  from  thence  bounded  by 
the  said  Hudson  river  as  the  said  river  runs,  northerly  until  it 
comes  to  the  Creeke  river  or  run  of  water  commonly  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  the  great  fish  kill,  to  the  northward  and 
above  the  said  high  lands,  which  is  likewise  the  southward 
bounds  of  another  Tract  of  Land  belonging  unto  the  said  Col. 
Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt  and  Company,  and  soe  easterly  along 
the  said  Coll.  Cortlandts  line  and  the  south  bounds  of  Coll. 
Henry  Beekman  until  it  comes  twenty  miles  or  unto  the  Division 
or  partition  line  between  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the 
said  Province  of  New  York,  and  easterly  by  the  said  Division 
line:  Being  bounded  Northerly  and  southerly  by  east  and  west 
lines,  unto  the  said  Division  line.  The  whole  being  bounded 
westward  by  Hudsons  river,  northward  by  the  lands  of  Coll. 
Cortlandt  and  Company  and  the  land  of  Coll.  Beekman,  and 
eastward  by  the  partition  line  between  the  Colony  of  Connecti- 
cut and  the  Province  of  New  York,  and  southerly  by  the  Manor 
of  Cortlandt.  Including  therein  a  certain  Island  at  the  north 
side  of  the  high  lands  called  Pollepels  Island.  With  all  the 
swamps,  woods,  underwoods,  marshes,  streams,  mines,  minerals, 
hawking,  hunting,  fishing  and  fowling  and  all  other  appurte- 
nances to  the  said  tract  belonging.  To  Have  and  To  Hold,  to 
the  aforesaid  Adolph  Philipse  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  so 


18  HISTOBY   <)i-  PUTNAM   COUNT r. 

that  neither  wee  the  said  Indian  natives  and  Proprietors,  nor 
our  heirs,  nor  any  other  person  for  us,  may  hereafter  have  any 
claim  challenge  or  demand,  to  the  premises  or  any  part  thereof. 
In  witness  whereof  we  the  said  Natives  Indian  Proprietors  have 
hereunto  put  our  hands  and  seals  in  New  York  the  thirteenth 
day  of  August  1702,  Annoque  Regni  Annae  nunc  Angl  &c. 
primo. 

"  The  mark  of  X  Gachquaean, 
mark  The  mark  of  X  Cowenhahum, 

The  X  of  The  mark  of  X  Hengham, 

Wecopop.  The  mark  of  X  Shawiss, 

The  mark  of  X  Sipowekack, 
The  mark  of  X  Cramatachet, 
The  mark  of  X  Wassawawogh. 

"Sealed  and  delivered  by  the  within  named  Gaohquaran, 
Cowenhahum,  Hengham,  Shawiss,  Siporewak,  Cramatacht, 
Wassawawogh  and  Wecopap,  in  the  presence  of 

"  J.  Van  Cortlandt, 
Will.  Sharpass, 
Philip  Van  Cortlandt, 
Alandiana  Bayard, 
The  mark  X  of  Mr.  Haupe  ye  Indian, 
The  mark  X  of  Amehevend, 
The  mark  X  of  Anackhean." 

Such  was  the  completion  of  the  title  of  Adolph  Philipse. 
The  originals  of  the  Indian  deed  to  Sybrant  and  Dorlandt,  their 
transfer  to  Adolph  Philipse,  the  license  of  Grov.  Brockholtz, 
and  the  second  Indian  deed  of  1702,  are  among  the  papers  of 
the  Philipse  family,  while  the  petition  and  the  patent  are 
among  the  records  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  State. 

Adolph  Philipse,  the  patentee,  continued  in  the  full  posses- 
sion of  his  Highland  Patent  till  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1749.  He  died  intestate, 
and  as  he  never  married,  his  estate  descended  to  his  nephew, 
Frederick  Philipse,  as  heirat-law  and  next  of  kin.  The  new 
owner  did  not  long  enjoy  his  possession,  but  died  in  1751.  His 
will,  which  bears  the  date  of  June  6th,  1751,  is  recorded  in  the 
surrogate's  office  of  the  city  of  New  York.  As  the  testator 
left  a  large  estate  not  only  in  New  York,  but  in  Westchester 
county,  as   well  as  the  Highland  Patent  inherited  from    his 


ac-slmllE,  reduoBd  In  sIzb,  of  deed  ty  Wapplnger  Indians  to 
ildalpli  PhlllpsE,  ilugust  13tii  1ZD2, 


-^     ..^ 


ncmailPcmf.,. 


A/: 


't>-ci^/2a/!     f^iZ^na/ii^fA/' 


r^/(<^mr>^ 


ti  ^mi&MffA  y'fim^fif^  (^\(^Mr/ai^  i^f^iiy  ir^  /i^j&t^ 
-Uf-f-fi-fi^^-iK?    art'  /^Li->-&ti'^    tU^/ier-nf-^ff^at?'  a/z^  ^ep^  /4t^v-i^^ 

er/^/i)  /^S^/a^V    ^Ji-^iA   /Wz^i^if  M-  ^i/' /u-it  g  A!9<s-cfi^A' 


4^^^/^^Q^v^. 


1,7,^  A&JD  ^  /^/,/Ca>,t^  /^^^'^  i^^^^^^l 


y/i^  ■{?^Aif^^^ ,mJ^^^^  I'^^&nny  ^^ f^n^-'-^/'^'i^  s^i-i  -^S-— 


^^//^M, ^^ny^^J^yah  M-  a^^  ^^^^  .<>^i«^; 


pa//tiy*/  ^,W<r»^    0a.^/^r  ;r^^,^^w^  /^ut9->t  /ictrS-^  /^^t^ 
^^IKifT^^f  ^«^Ak^  ^^<>t^-v/iH^  fif^t^f  /^tr^^fie^    4^<^  yi-f^^ 


fr 


^tfn^   A^a^i'/t^i^  t7-  ^ 


m 


^/4  ;►#/•/ M/?^  .rrA: 


L-^ 


Vi^ra-K  JrM^'iy2&.^Tf  t>f;fijf-  /V^^.^i?'^^  ,^jn^^  Ae)^cfM.f! AjAo^l 


•ft    i^^JM^    i^jfi/iO^    i&i-i-i^  ^^^  ^C'^^/i^^    i 


'% 


\ 


/m  Me**'>- 


'fj'^L/i.Afu,^-^ 


,/M-^a 


'tm  (*^ 


a 


/S^H^is-  ^'    ^^    //^^ 


A^u 


• 


.^i:.nt(i'^^(>Y- 


/M-fn^r^<^    :L^  Jhj  ""'"  ^  xA  ^ 


.^■xJv 


R^. 


^ 


t* 


"^^'^"^"'■infei^      )>^;Wi« 


**■■""■■  I   "i^,^  iW^'^h' 


;  •^^'^/'«»^.'^<^^-/ 


r/a«^// 


ABTOTITE,    e,    BIERSTdDT,    N      Y 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  19 

uncle,  his  will  is  written  at  great  lengtti,  but  the  only  portion  of 
it  which  relates  to  his  possessions  in  this  county  is  the  follow- 
ing item: 

"  Whereas,  there  is  a  large  tract  of  land  situate  and  being  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  River,  which  by  letters  patent 
bearing  date  on  or  about  the  seventeenth  day  of  June,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-seven, 
was  granted  unto  my  said  uncle  Adolph  Philipse  and  his  heirs, 
butted  and  bounded  as  therein  mentioned,  reference  being 
thereunto  had  which  said  tract  of  land  is  commonly  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  "Mr.  Philipse' s  Upper  or  Highland 
Patent"  and  which  said  tract  of  land  and  the  estate  right  and 
title  in  and  to  the  same  is  now  belonging  to  and  vested  in  me 
by  his  death  as  heir-at-law  to  him.  Wherefore,  I  do  devise  and 
bequeath  that  said  large  tract  of  land  with  the  appurtenances 
in  manner  following: — To  my  son  Philip  Philipse  and  the  heirs 
of  his  body  forever,  one  quarter  part  thereof ;  to  my  said 
daughter  Susannah,  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Beverly  Robinson  and 
to  the  heirs  of  her  body  forever,  one  other  quarter  part  thereof; 
unto  my  second  daughter  Mary  Philipse  and  to  the  heirs  of  her 
body  forever,  one  other  quarter  part  thereof  ;  and  the  other 
quarter  part  thereof  unto  my  youngest  daughter  Margrett 
Philipse  and  to  the  heirs  of  her  body  forever;  and  if  my  said 
son  Philip  Philipse,  or  any  or  either  of  my  said  daughters  shall 
happen  to  die  without  issue,  then  and  in  sach  case  the  quarter 
part  or  parts  hereby  devised  to  him,  her,  or  those  of  them  so 
dying  without  issue,  I  will,  devise  and  bequeath  unto  the  sur- 
vivors of  them,  equally  to  be  divided  between  them  to  the 
respective  heirs  of  their  bodies  forever.  And  if  three  of  them 
should  happen  to  die  without  issue,  then  I  will,  devise  and 
bequeath  the  three  quarter  parts  of  those  so  dying  without  issue 
unto  the  survivor  of  them,  and  to  the  heirs  of  the  body  of  such 
survivor  forever." 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   PHILIPSE   FAMILY. 

THE  family  of  which  Adolph  Philipse,  the  patentee,  was  so 
illustrious  a  member,  and  which  has  from  the  earliest 
time  to  the  present  day  been  so  closely  identified  with  the  his- 
tory of  this  region  of  country,  most  justly  merits  an  extended 
notice  as  the  name  is  an  inseparable  portion  of  the  annals  of  the 
county  and  State  as  well. 

The  ancestor  of  this  family  was  Vrederick  Flypsen,  who  was, 
according  to  one  account,  a  native  of  Bolswaert,  in  Friesland, 
where  he  was  born  in  1626.  There  is  abundant  evidence  that 
his  ancestry  were  among  the  nobility  of  Bohemia,  but  a  claim 
to  a  truer  nobility  than  kings  can  bestow  is  found  in  the  fact 
that  they  were  among  the  friends  and  supporters  of  the  Re- 
formed Religion  and  adherents  of  the  renowned  John  Huss  and 
Jerome  of  Prague,  and  shared  in  enduring  the  persecutions 
which  have  made  their  names  illustrious  as  champions  of  relig- 
ious freedom. 

For  their  adherence  to  the  cause  of  Reformation,  the  family 
were  compelled  to  flee  from  Bohemia,  and  they  found  in  Hol- 
land, as  did  thousands  after  them,  a  home  of  peace  and  secur- 
ity. Compelled  to  leave  their  property,  the  family  found  them- 
selves in  a  strange  land  and  in  the  possession  of  very  limited 
means.  A  manuscript  statement  written  by  John  Jay,  and 
worthy  of  the  respect  due  to  anything  emanating  from  the  hon- 
ored chief  justice,  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the 
founder  of  this  family  was  born  in  Bohemia. 

"  The  first  ancestor  of  this  family  was  Frederick  Flypsen, 
and  he  was  a  native  of  Bohemia,  where  his  family  being  Protes- 
tants were  persecuted.  His  mother  becoming  a  widow  was  com- 
pelled to  quit  Bohemia  with  him  and  her  other  children.  She 
fled  to  Holland  with  what  little  property  she  could  save  from 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  21 

the  wreck  of  their  estate.  The  amount  of  this  little  not  permit- 
ting her  to  provide  better  for  Frederick  she  bound  him  to  a  car- 
penter, and  he  became  an  excellent  workman.  He  emigrated  to 
New  York,  which  was  under  the  Dutch,  but  in  what  year  I  am 
not  informed." 

A  tradition  of  the  family  is  that  he  came  with  Peter  Stuyve- 
sant,  and  if  this  be  the  case,  he  must  have  arrived  in  1647.  It 
is  certain  that  he  was  in  New  Netherlandin  1653,  as  at  that  time 
he  was  appointed  appraiser  of  certain  property  in  New  Amster- 
dam. The  surest  proof  of  the  nobility  of  his  ancestry  is  the 
fact  that  although  he  came  to  this  country  without  any  of  the 
advantages  of  fortiine,  he  was  recognized  as  the  social  equal  of 
the  highest  dignitaries  of  the  colony,  and  the  favor  and  as- 
sistance which  he  received  from  them,  were  doubtless  in  great 
part  the  means  which  in  the  end  made  him  the  richest  man  of  his 
day.  His  first  wife,  Margaret,  was  the  daughter  of  Adoph 
Hardenbrook,  who  came  from  Holland  and  settled  at  Bergen. 
She  married  Rudolphus  De  Vries,  a  merchant  of  New  Amster- 
dam, in  1659.  They  had  one  daughter,  who  was  baptized  by  th6 
name  of  Maria,  October  3d,  1660.  Rudolphus  De  Vries  died  in 
1661,  lea,ving  a  considerable  estate,  which  descended  to  his 
widow  and  child.  In  October,  1662,  bans  of  marriage  between 
Frederick  Philipse  and  Margaret  Hardenbrook  were  published, 
and  the  Court  of  Orphan  Masters,  of  New  Amsterdam,  sum- 
moned her  before  them  to  render  an  inventory  of  her  child's 
paternal  inheritance.  This  she  declared  her  inability  to  do, 
probably  on  account  of  the  commercial  quality  of  the  assets, 
and  the  court  received  the  ante-nuptial  contract  between  her 
and  Frederick  Philipse,  in  lieu  of  inventory,  in  consideration 
of  its  containing  an  agreement  on  his  part  to  adopt  the  child  of 
Rudolphus  De  Vries,  and  bequeath  unto  her  half  of  his  estate, 
unless  he  had  children  of  his  own,  in  which  case  he  would  give 
her  an  equal  share  with  them.  The  Dutch  law  permitted  adop- 
tion, and  also  the  limitation  of  successory  estates  by  marriage 
contracts,  and  the  child  thus  became  the  child  of  Frederick 
Philipse  upon  the  occasion  of  his  marriage,  which  took  place, 
as  recorded,  in  December  following.  It  has  been  stated  that  she 
was  baptized  under  the  name  of  Maria.  That  is  supposed  by 
some  to  have  been  an  error  on  the  part  of  the  registrar.  It  is 
possible  that  her  name  may  have  been  changed  at  the  time  of 
her  adoption:  however  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  she  ever 


22  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

after  bore  the  name  of  Eva  Philipse  and  is  thus  named  in  her 
adopted  father's  will. 

By  this  marriage  he  became  entitled  to  a  community  of  prop- 
erty with  his  wife,  but  she  did  not  relinquish  the  sole  manage- 
ment of  her  estate,  for  which  she  seemed  well  fitted  by  nature. 
On  the  contrary  she  continued  to  conduct  the  business  of  her 
late  husband,  went  repeatedly  to  Holland  in  her  own  ships,  as 
supercargo,  and  bought  goods  and  traded  on  her  own  account. 
By  her  fortune,  enterprise  and  thrift,  as  well  as  his  own  exer- 
tions, Frederick  Philipse  soon  became  one  of  the  richest  men  in 
the  colony.     His  property  was  valued,  in  1674,  by  commission- 
ers appointed  by  the  governor,  at  80,000  guilders,  a  sum  which 
was  large  for  those  days,  but  small  in  comparison  to  the  wealth 
he  afterward  accumulated.     After  the  death  of  his  wife,'  which 
occurred  about  1690,  his  business  enterprises  became  still  more 
extensive.     He  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  traders  with  the 
Five  Indian  Nations  at  Albany,  sent  ships  to  both  the  East  and 
West  Indies,  imported  slaves  from  Africa,  and  it  is  intimated  by 
his  enemies  that  he  increased  his  gains  by  dealings  with  the 
pirates  at  Madagascar.  It  was  generally  believed  that  his  profits 
were  much  enhanced  by  his  connection  with  the  government, 
and  his  intimacy  with  the  governors,  by  which  he  obtained  ad- 
vantages not  granted  to  others.     In  official  and  political  affairs, 
he  was  not  less  jjrominent  than  in  his  commercial  transactions. 
He  was  a  member  of  Council  under  all  the  governors,  from  Ed- 
mund Andros  to  the  Earl  of  Bellomont,  embracing  a  X)eriod  of 
twenty  years,  with  the  brief  exception  of  the  rule  of   Jacob 
Leisler,  whose  authority  he  resisted  for  a  while,  but  whom  he 
afterwards  recognized  as  the  governor  de  facto.  He  was  in  high 
favor  with  Governor  Sloughter  and  his    successor   Governor 
Fletcher,  through  whose  favor  both  he  and  his  son,  Adolph,  ob- 
tained large  grants  of  land,  the  former  gaining  a  large  extent  of 
territory  in  Westchester  county,  embracing  the  lands  between 
the  Hudson  and  the  Bronx  River,  and  extending  from   the 
Croton  River  to  Kings  Bridge,  and  afterwards  established  as  the 
Manor  of  Philipsburg:    and  the  latter  obtaining  the  Highland 
Patent  which  has  been  described  in  preceding  pages. 

In  1698,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Council,  giving  as  a  reason 
his  advanced  age,  but  apparently  to  escape  removal,  which 
seemed  probable  upon  the  accession  of  the  Earl  of  Bellomont  to 
the  position  of  governor. 


GENEEAL  HISTORY.  23 

In  1692,  Mr.  Philipse  married  Catharine,  daughter  of  Oloff 
Stevense  Van  Cortlandt,  and  widow  of  John  Dervall.  There 
were  no  children  from  this  second  marriage.  The  notice  of  his 
death  is  thus  recorded,  by  his  widow,  in  the  family  Bible. 

"  Anno  1702  the  6th  of  November,  Saturday  night  at  10  o'clock 
my  husband  Frederick  Philipse  died  and  lies  buried  in  the 
church  yard  in  the  Manor  named  Philipsbnrg." 

On  his  Manor  of  Philipsburg,  he  ruled  in  true  baronial  style. 
Two  manor  houses  stood  upon  the  estate,  one  at  the  "Upper 
Mills"  above  Tarry  town,  and  the  other,  now  a  venerated  relic 
of  the  past,  is  the  present  citj'-  hall  of  Yonkers.  Thus  passed 
away  a  man  who  was,  during  his  long  life,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  personages  of  his  time,  and  his  earthly  remains  rest 
in  the  well  known  Sleepy  Hollow  Cemetery,  at  Tarrytown,  hal- 
lowed as  the  last  resting  place  of  Washington  Irving.  Fred- 
erick Philipse  had  five  children:  Eva,  his  adopted  daughter, 
who  married  Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt,  and  whose  descendants 
are  known  as  the  Van  Cortlandts  of  Yonkers;  Philip,  born  in 
1663  and  baptized  March  18th,  1664;  Adolph,  baptized  Novem- 
ber 15th,  1665:  Anatje  (Anna),  baptized  November  27th,  1667, 
married  Philip  French';  and  one  child,  Rumbout,  baptized  Jan- 
uary 9th  1670,  died  in  early  infancy. 

Philip  Philipse,  the  eldest  son,  was  a  youth  of  delicate  con- 
stitution. His  father  sent  him  to  Barbadoes,  in  the  West  Indies, 
to  look  after  a  plantation  and  while  there  he  married,  in  1697, 
Maria  Sparks,  daughter  of  the  governor  of  the  island.  His  wife 
died  soon  after  the  birth  of  their  only  child,  Frederick,  Oct. 
17th,  1698.     Her  husband  did  not  long  survive  but  died  in  1700. 

WILL   OP   FREDERICK   PHILIPSE. 

"  I  Frederick  Flipse  of  ye  City  of  New  York  Merchant,  be- 
ing in  health  of  body  and  of  sound  mind  and  perfect  memory, 
thanks  be  to  Almighty  God,  doe  make  and  declare  this  to  be 
my  last  Will  and  Testament,  Revoking  and  annulling  all  former 
Wills  and  Testaments  by  me  made  either  by  word  or  writing. 

"  First  I  surrender  and  bequeath  my  soul  into  ye  merciful 
hands  of  ye  Infinite  Q-od  who  gave  it,  and  I  order  my  body  to 

'  Philip  French  came  from  Kelsale,  Suffolk,  England.  He  died  in  1707,  leaving 
a  son  Philip  (who  married  Susannah  Brockholst),  and  four  daughters:  Anne, 
wife  of  David  Van  Home;  Susannah,  wife  of  Hon.  WUliam  Livingston;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  David  Clarkson;  and  Mary,  wife  of  Hon.  Wm.  Browne,  "  of  Bev- 
erly, New  England." 


24  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

be  interred  at  my  Burrial  place  at  ye  Upper  Mills',  with  such 
charges  and  in  such  decent  manner  as  to  my  Executors  herein- 
after named  shall  seem  convenient.  And  as  touching  ye  dispo- 
sition of  my  lands,  tenements,  hereditaments  goods  chattels 
and  credits  I  will,  devise  and  dispose  of  them  as  follows:  1  give, 
grant,  devise  and  bequeath  to  Frederick  Flipse  my  grandson 
born  in  Barbadoes,  ye  only  son  of  Philip  my  eldest  son  late  de- 
ceased, ye  following  houses  and  Tenements  in  ye  City  of  New 
York  (to  wit)  That  dwelling  house  with  ye  appurtenances  I  now 
live  in,  with  ye  house  called  ye  Bolting  house,  and  ye  ground 
adjoining  soe  farr  as  ye  Lean  to  stands,  and  soe  farr  as  ye 
Gavell  end  of  ye  old  Kitchen,  and  ye  fence  of  ye  widow  De 
Kay,  and  also  a  Warehouse  called  ye  middle  warehouse  and  ye 
grounds  behind  it  ye  bredth  of  ye  same  Warehouse  towards  ye 
New  Street  and  to  extend  in  length  to  ye  Broad  Street,  ye  same 
ground  lying  there  in  bredth  between  my  Cooper's  house  and 
ground  of  Isaac  Kipp:  and  all  those  two  dwelling  houses  and 
lotts  of  ground  with  their  appurtenances  lying  and  being  near 
ye  old  Stadt-house  at  present  in  ye  tenure  of  Mr.  Carree  and 
Mr.  Droylett,  and  also  these  Lands  tenements  and  hereditaments 
in  the  County  of  Westchester  (to  wit)  That  Island  Papiriniman 
with  ye  meadows  and  Bridge'  and  ye  Toll  and  all  ye  right  and 
Title  I  have  to  ye  same.  And  all  those  lands  and  meadows 
called  ye  Jonckers  plantation  together  with  all  and  singular 
houses.  Mills,  mill  dams,  orchards  gardens  Negroes,  Negroes 
children,  cattle  horses  swine  and  whatever  else  belongs  to  me 
within  that  Patent  as  well  what  is  tenanted  as  nott:  as  also  a 
piece  of  land  in  the  mile  square  by  me  late  bought  of  Michael 
Hawden.  And  all  that  Tract  or  piece  of  Land  extending  from 
the  Jonckers  patent  or  plantation  to  a  creek  called  by  ye  Indians 
Wys  qua  qua,  and  by  the  Christians  William  Portuguese's 
creek  and  thence  according  to  ye  course  of  that  creek  into  ye 
woods  to  ye  head  of  ye  same,  and  from  thence  on  an  east  line 
to  the  creek  called  the  Jonckers  creek,  and  thence  to  continue 
on  the  samt!  course  to  Bronks  river  as  farr  as  my  right  extends, 
as  also  all  that  ye  equall  half  of  my  meadow  lyeing  at  Tappan 
with  ye  rights  hereditaments  emoluments  and  appurtenances  to 
ye  same,  and  all  ye  other  estate  herein  before  given  and  devised 
belonging  or  in  any  way  appertaining.     To  have  and  to  hold  all 

'By  the  old  Dutch  Church  at  Tarrytown. 
'Now  King's  Bridge  on  Harlem  River. 


GiCNERAL   HISTORY.  25 

ye  real  Estate,  Tenements  and  hereditaments  with  ye  appurte- 
nances here  in  before  given  and  devised  to  ye  said  Frederick 
Flipse  my  grandson,  and  ye  heires  male  of  his  body  lawfully  to 
be  begotten,  and  for  lack  of  such  Issue  ye  Remainder  thereof 
to  ray  son  Adolphus  Flipse  and  ye  heires  male  of  his  body 
lawfully  to  be  begotten,  and  for  lack  of  such  Issue  to  ye  next 
right  heirs  of  me  ye  said  Frederick  Flipse,  ye  Grandfather  for 
ever  Item  I  give  and  devise  and  bq/^ueath  to  my  said  G-randson 
Frederick  Flipse  beside  ye  Negroes  at  ye  Jonckers  plantation 
herein  before  given  and  devised  to  him,  a  Negro  man  called 
Harry  with  his  wife  and  child,  a  Negro  man  called  Peter,  a 
Negro  man  called  Wan,  ye  boat  Joncker  with  her  furniture  ap- 
parell  and  appurtenances  and  ye  equal  half  of  all  ye  cattle 
horses  and  sheep  upon  and  belonging  to  ye  plantation  at  ye 
upper  Mills.  To  have  all  to  hold  all  ye  said  Negroes  and  all  ye 
said  personal  estate  to  him  his  heirs  executors  and  assigns  for- 
ever. 

"  Item  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  said  grandson  his  executors 
and  Assigns  forever  an  equall  fourth  part  of  all  ye  shipps  ves- 
sels, plate,  goods,  merchandise,  debts  and  personal  estate  what- 
soever which  shall  belong  to  me  at  the  time  of  my  decease,  my 
debts  and  ye  particular  legacys  in  this  my  will  given  being  first 
satisfied  and  discharged.  Provided  always  and  I  doe  declare  it 
my  will  mind  and  true  meaning  that  I  give  ye  lands  extending 
from  ye  Jonckers  plantation  to  William  Portuguese  creek  and 
so  to  Bronks  river  to  my  said  grandson  with  this  restriction  and 
condition,  that  it  is  in  lew  of  a  Tract  of  Land  called  Cinque- 
singh  purchased  by  me  and  intended  to  be  given  to  his  father 
my  eldest  son,  soe  that  if  at  any  time  hereafter  ye  said  Fred- 
erick Flipse  my  Grandson  shall  claime  and  recover  this  tract  of 
land  called  Cinquesingh,  ihen  it  is  ray  will  that  the  tract  of  land 
extending  from  ye  Jonckers  plantation  to  William  Portuguese's 
creek,  shall  devolve  unto  and  be  vested  in  my  said  son  Adol- 
phus his  heires  and  assigns  forever. 

"And  I  give  devise  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Adolphus 
Flipse  ye  following  houses  and  tenements  in  ye  City  of  New 
York  (to  witt)  That  house  and  ground  that  Isaac  Marquise  at 
present  lives  in  and  a  house  in  ye  Stone  street  next  Isaac  De 
Forrests  with  an  old  house  formerly  belonging  to  John  Rider 
soe  farr  as  to  ye  Lean  to,  and  ye  Gavell  end  of  ye  old  kitchen, 
in  length  to  ye  fence  of  ye  widow  De  Kay  and  in  breadth  to  ye 


26  HISTOKT    OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

fence  of  Isaac  De  Forrest  or  so  farr  as  my  right  extends;  as  also 
a  house  and  lott  of  ground  over  against  ye  house  I  live  in, 
stretching  in  breadth  to  ye  house  of  Anneke  Grosens  and  in 
length  to  ye  house  of  Mr.  Anthony  Brockholes  and  also  a  house 
and  ground  lyeing  in  ye  broad  street  by  ye  house  of  Jacobus 
Kipp  with  a  ware  house  in  ye  New  Street,  and  the  ground  be- 
tween both  upon  a  straight  line  from  ye  South  corner  of  ye 
warehouse  to  ye  south  come];  of  that  house  (to  witt)  from  one 
street  to  the  other,  and  also  those  lands  tenants  and  heredita- 
ments in  ye  County  of  Westchester  (to  witt)  all  that  tract  of 
land  lyeing  at  ye  Upper  Mills,  beginning  at  a  creek  called  by 
ye  Indians  Wys  qua  qua  and  by  ye  Christians  William  Portu- 
guese creek  being  ye  bound  of  ye  land  given  hereby  to  my 
Grrandson,  and  soe  running  up  Hudsons  river  to  ye  creek  called 
Kightawan  or  Croton  River,  soe  along  that  river  or  creek  ac- 
cording to  the  Patent,  then  on  an  east  line  into  the  woods  as  far 
as  Bronks  river  thence  to  ye  head  of  that  river  and  along 
Bronks  river  according  to  its  course  to  ye  lands  herein  before 
devised  to  my  Grandson,  as  also  ye  moyety  or  equal  half  of  a 
sawmill  with  its  appurtenances  at  Mamaroneck  late  by  me  pur- 
chased of  Dr.  Selimus.  And  also  all  that  ye  one  equal  half  of 
ye  meadow  at  Tappan  by  me  purchased  of  Dr.  George  Lock- 
hart,  and  all  that  piece  of  meadow  oq  the  north  side  of  Tappan 
creek  containing  in  quantity  as  is  expressed  in  ye  Patent  for 
the  same.  To  the  said  Adolphus  my  son  and  the  heires  male  of 
his  body  lawfully  to  be  begotten,  and  for  lack  of  such  issue  to 
my  Grandson  Frederick  Flipse  and  the  heires  male  of  his  body 
lawfully  begotten,  and  for  lack  of  such  issue  to  the  next  right 
heires  of  me  ye  said  Frederick  the  father,  forever. 

"  Item  I  give  and  devise  and  bequeath  to  my  son  Adolphus 
Flipse  these  negroes  and  slaves  following  (to  witt)  ye  negro 
men  called  Symon,  Charles,  TowerhilL  Samson,  Claes,  Billy 
Mingo,  hendrick  Bahyme  and  Hector,  ye  negro  boy  Peter,  ye 
Indian  woman  called  Hannah  and  her  child,  ye  negro  woman 
Susan  ye  younger,  and  ye  negro  woman  Mary: 

' '  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  son  Adolphus  one  equal  half  of  my 
cattle  horses  and  sheep  belonging  to  ye  plantations  at  ye  upper 
mills,  a  large  boat  called  ye  Unity  with  her  furniture  late  by  mee 
bought  of  Jan  Desmaretz  and  an  equal  fourth  part  of  the  per- 
sonal estate  which  shall  belong  to  me  at  the  time  of  my  decease. 

"  I  do  give  and  devise  to  my  eldest  daughter  Eva  the  wife  of 


GENEEAL  HI8T0EY.  27 

Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt  the  house  and  grounds  in  ye  City  of 
New  York  where  they  at  present  live,  as  also  a  lott  of  ground 
in  the  same  city  in  the  New  Street  to  the  southward  of  the  old 
ware  house,  as  it  lyes  at  present  inclosed  and  fenced,  and  an 
equal  fourth  part  of  personal  property.  To  have  and  to  hold 
the  said  houses  and  premises  during  her  natural  life,  and  after 
her  decease  to  ye  second  son  of  her  body  to  be  begotten,  and 
his  heires  and  assigns  for  ever,  but  for  lack  of  such  Issue  to 
her  son  Frederick  Cortlandt  his  heires  and  assigns. 

"  Item  I  give  to  my  daughter  Eva  a  certaine  Mortgage  of  Dr. 
Henricus  Selymus  upon  the  lands  of  John  Richbell  deceased, 
twenty  miles  into  ye  woods.  With  this  proviso,  not  to  extend 
Bronx  river  into  any  of  ye  lands  devised  to  my  son  or  grand- 
son. 

"I  give  to  my  daughter  Anatje  wife  of  Philip  French,  Ihat 
house  and  ground  in  the  City  of  New  York  where  they  at  pres- 
ent live,  as  also  ye  old  Warehouse  and  ground  thereunto  be- 
longing lying  in  ye  New  Street,  and  all  my  estate  of  lands  in 
ye  County  of  Berghen  in  East  Jersey  (to  witt)  a  house  and  lot 
in  ye  towne  of  Berghen  a  large  garden,  a  plantation  of  fifteen 
acres,  with  eight  morgen  or  about  sixteen  acres  of  meadow 
ground,  and  ye  right  and  privilege  in  the  undivided  woodlands 
of  two  farms  and  ye  plantation  and  all  those  my  lands  in  the 
County  of  Ulster  (to  witt)  a  piece  of  land  at  Mambachus  about 
two  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  and  a  piece  of  land  at  ye  Rom- 
bout  Creek  mortgaged  to  me  by  John  Ward  containing  about 
seven  hundred  acres,  and  after  my  wifes  decease  that  lot  of 
ground  in  the  City  of  New  York  extending  from  ye  Broadway 
to  ye  New  Street  lying  between  ye  ground  late  of  Robert  White 
deceased  and  William  the  Clockluyer  And  I  do  bequeath  that 
my  wife  Catharine  shall  have  during  her  natural  life  fifty  pounds 
current  money  per  annum,  and  that  five  and  twenty  pounds 
thereof  be  levyed  in.  nature  of  a  rent  charge  upon  my  estate  at 
ye  Jonckers,  and  the  other  twenty  five  upon  my  estate  at  the 
upper  mills,  and  that  she  shall  remaine  and  continue  to  dwell 
in  ye  house  I  now  live  in,  and  have  and  receive  the  money  I 
have  engaged  and  promised  her  according  to  our  agreement  be- 
fore and  upon  our  marriage,  preferable  to  all  legacies  whatso- 
ever. I  devise  to  my  said  wife  that  lot  in  the  City  of  New 
York  extending  from  ye  Broadway  to  ye  New  Street,  lying  be- 
between  ye  ground  late  of  Robert  White  deceased  and  William 


38  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

the  Clockluyer,  during  her  natural  life,  and  that  she  shall  have 
the  custody  tutition  and  Guardianship  of  my  grandson  Fred- 
erick until  he  comes  of  age,  who  I  devise  may  have  ye  best  edu- 
cation and  Learning  these  parts  of  ye  world  will  aflford  him,  not 
doubting  of  her  care  in  bringing  him  up  after  ye  best  manner 
possible  shee  can. 

"Lastly  I  appoint  my  son  Adolphus,  and  my  son  in  law  Ja- 
cobus Van  Cortlandt  executors  of  this  my  last  will  and  testa- 
ment, In  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal 
this  26th,  day  of  October  1700. 

"Frederick  Flipse." 

Adolph  Philipse,  the  second  son  of  Frederick  Philipse,  died 
unmarried  and  intestate,  in  1749.  Like  his  father  he  was  not 
only  a  weathly  merchant,  but  held  high  official  position.  On 
the  rumor  that  the  French  were  about  to  attack  Albany,  he  was 
sent,  in  1691,  to  Connecticut  to  ask  assistance  from  that  colony. 
He  was  appointed  member  of  Council  February  7th,  1704-5,  and 
in  1718  was  one  of  the  commissioners  to  arrange  and  settle  the 
boundary  between  New  York  and  Connecticut.  In  1721,  he  was 
removed  from  the  Council  on  the  representation  of  Governor 
Burnett,  for  opposing  the  continuance  of  the  Assembly  after 
his  Excellency's  arrival.  In  1719,  he  was  member  of  Assembly 
for  Westchester,  and  was  speaker  in  1725.  In  1736,  he  was  one  of 
the  four  members  from  New  York  and  was  speaker  till  1737.  At 
the  election  in  that  year  he  was  not  elected,  but  upon  the  death 
of  Gerrit  Van  Home,  one  of  the  members,  he  was  elected  to  fill 
the  vacancy,  and  although  the  election  was  disputed,  he  was 
sustained.  He  was  reelected  speaker  in  1739,  and  held  that 
honorable  position  till  1745.  He  died  in  January,  1749,  at  the 
age  of  85.  John  Jay  said  of  him,  "  He  was  a  man  of  superior 
talent,  well  educated,  sedate,  highly  respected  and  popular. 
Except  that  he  was  penurious  I  have  heard  nothing  to  his  dis- 
advantage." His  portrait  is  among  the  family  relics  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Philipse  family,  and  represents  him  in  the  prime  of 
life.  Among  the  accounts  of  Joseph  Reed,  the  administrator 
of  the  estate,  there  is  charged  against  Frederick  Philipse,  the 
ancestor  of  the  present  family  of  Putnam  county,  the  follow- 
ing item:  "Jan.  25th,  1749,  To  the  picture  of  Mr.  Adolph 
Philipse,  £6." 

Frederick  Philipse,  who  inherited  from  his  grandfather  the 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  29 

immense  estate  of  the  Manor  of  Philipsburg,  and  from  his 
uncle,  Adolph  Philipse,  the  Highland  Patent,  was  born  in  Bar- 
badoes  in  1698,  and  when  four  years  old  came  to  New  York. 
Entering  upon  life  with  all  the  advantages  that  wealth  and 
high  position  could  bestow,  he  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  citizens  of  the  province.  From  1721  to  1728,  he 
was  speaker  -of  the  Assembly.  In  1733,  he  was  baron  of  the 
Exchequer  and  he  also  held  the  office  of  third  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  till  the  time  of  his  death,  while  his  social  posi- 
tion as  "Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Philipsburg,"  placed  him  in 
the  highest  rank  of  the  landed  gentry  of  the  period.  He  mar- 
ried Johanna,  youngest  daughter  of  Gov.  Anthony  Brockholst.' 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children  :  Frederick,  born  in 
New  York;  Philip,  baptized  1727;  Susannah,  born  Sept.  27thj 
1727,  married  Col.  Beverly  Robinson;  Mary,  born  July  5th, 
1730,  married  Col.  Roger  Morris;  and  Margaret,  who  died  un 
married. 

Mrs.  Johanna  Philipse  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  her  carriage 
on  the  Highland  estate,  and  her  husband,  Frederick  Philipse, 
died  July  26th,  1751,  at  the  age  of  53.  He  was  buried  at  the 
old  Dutch  Church,  at  Tarrytown,  on  his  Manor  of  Philipsburg. 
The  following  notice  of  his  death  appeared  in  the  "New  York 
Gazette:" 

"Last  Friday  evening  departed  this  life  in  the  53rd  year  of 
his  age  the  Honorable  Frederick  Philipse  Esq.  one  of  his  Majes- 
ties justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Province  and  a 
Representative  in  the  General  Assembly  for  the  County  of 
Westchester.  He  was  a  gentleman  conspicuous  for  an  abundant 
fortune,  but  it  was  not  his  wealth  that  established  his  merit. 
His  indulgence  and  tenderness  to  his  tenants,  his  more  than 
parental  affection  for  his  children,  and  his  incessant  liberality 
to  the  indigent  surpassed  the  splendor  of  his  estate,  and  pro- 
cured him  a  more  unfeigned  regard  than  can  be  purchased  with 
opulence,  or  gained  by  interest.  There  were  perhaps  few  men 
that  ever  equaled  him  in  those  obliging  and  benevolent  manners, 
which,  at  the  same  time  that  they  attract  the  love  of  his 
Inferiors,  gained  him  all  the  respect  and  veneration  due  to  his 

'Gov.  Anthony  Brookholst  married  Susannah,  daughter  of  Palus  Schrick,  an 
early  settler  who  came  from  Holland.  He  left  five  children:  Henry;  Judith, 
wife  of  Dirck  Van  Vechten;  Susannah,  wife  of  Philip  French;  Mary,  who  died 
unmarried;  and  Johanna,  wife  of  Frederick  Philipse.  A  will  of  Susannah, 
widow  of  Gov.  Brookholst,  dated  1724,  is  among  the  Philipse  papers. 


30  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

lank  and  station.  That  he  was  a  lover  of  his  country  is  glo- 
riously attested  by  his  being  repeatedly  elected  into  the  Assem- 
bly, for  the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life.  He  had  a  disposition 
extremely  social  and  was,  what  few  ever  attain  to,  a  good  com- 
panion. But  what  I  have  said  of  his  character,  is  far  from 
being  a  finished  portrait,  it  is  only  a  sketch  of  some  few  of  his 
excellent  qualities;  many  features  I  am  sure  have  escaped  me, 
but  I  dare  say  that  those  I  have  attempted  are  not  set  off  with 
false  colors,  but  drawn  faithfully  from  the  life." 

He  died  possessed  of  a  large  fortune  which  was  distributed 
among  his  children. 

ABSTBACT   OF  WILL   OF   FKBDEEIOK   PHILIPSE. 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  I  Frederick  Philipse  of  the 
city  of  New  York  being  in  tolerable  health  of  body  and  of 
sound  and  perfect  mind  and  understanding,  thanks  be  to 
Almighty  God,  do  make  this  my  last  will  and  testament.  And 
first  I  surrender  and  Recommend  my  immortal  soul  into  the 
hands  of  the  infinite  God  who  gave  it,  hopeing  for  salvation 
through  the  merits  of  my  blessed  Reedeemer  Jesus  Christ, 
and  my  body  I  order  to  be  buried  with  great  Decency  but  with 
no  ostentation  in  the  family  vault  at  the  Upper  Mills,  and  as 
touching  the  distribution  of  my  estate  I  devise  as  follows: 

"  Item  first  orders  all  debts  and  funeral  charges  paid. 

"Item  Second  Whereas  my  uncle  Adolph  Philipse  and 
Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt  purchased  of  John  Richbell  a  certain 
tract  of  land  at  Mamaraneck  in  the  County  of  Westchester,  and 
Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt  conveyed  all  his  estate  in  the  said  tract 
to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  which  is  come  to  me  as  heir  at  law, 
I  bequeath  the  same  unto  my  eldest  son  Frederick.  *  *  * 
All  the  manor  of  Philipsburg  and  all  tracts  of  land  in  West- 
chester County,  that  are  on  the  east  of  Hudson's  river  and 
bounded  northward  by  a  creek  called  by  the  Indians  Kichta 
wank  and  by  the  English  Kroten's  river,  and  so  eastward  into 
the  woods  along  the  creek  two  English  miles,  and  thence  upon 
a  direct  East  line  to  Bronks  river,  and  so  running  Southward 
along  Bronks  river,  until  a  direct  west  line  cutteth  the  South 
side  of  a  neck  or  Island  of  land  at  a  creek  or  Kill  called  Pap- 
parinimo,  which  divides  York  island  from  the  main,  and  so 
from  thence  north  ward  along  Hudson's  river  to  the  creek  called 
Kichtawank,  (excepting  the  farm  in  the  possession  of  William 


FREnEHICK    PHILIPSE-  The  "Yonker"    ar  "Judge"-  (ob,   17ai,) 

FrDm  painting  in  posssssinn  at 
New  Ycrk  Hlstnncal   Snclety 


*HTOT¥Pe,      t       eiEHSTADT.      N 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  31 

Jones  hereinafter  devised)  also  the  bridge  called  Kingsbridge 
with  all  the  Tolls,  and  also  my  salt  meadow  in  Orange  County 
adjoining  Hudson's  river,  and  also  that  certain  Lott  of  Ground 
facing  Duke  Street,  also  the  house  and  land  where  John  Pintard 
lately  lived,  also  that  dwelling  house  store  house  and  Lott 
situate  in  Stone  street  in  the  City  of  New  York  now  in  posses- 
sion of  my  son  in  law  Beverly  Robinson  *  *  to  my  eldest 
son  Frederick  Philipse  during  his  life,  and  after  his  death  to 
his  eldest  son.  [The  will  then  proceeds  to  entail  this  estate 
upon  the  male  heirs  to  all  futurity]. 

"  To  my  dearly  beloved  wife  Johanna  an  annuity  of  £400. 

"I  order  the  sum  of  £400  to  be  expended  towards  erecting  a 
Church  of  England  as  by  law  established  on  the  farm  near  and 
to  the  northward  of  the  house  now  in  the  possession  of  Wm. 
Jones  Senior,  by  the  Saw  mill  river,  and  I  devise  the  farm  now 
in  tenure  of  Wm.  Jones  for  the  use  of  such  ministers  as  shall 
be  inducted  in  said  church  to  remain  as  a  Glebe  for  said  Church.' 
[The  portion  of  the  will  which  disposes  of  the  Highland  Patent 
is  given  entire  in  another  place]. 

"  Whereas  upon  the  marriage  of  my  son  Philip  I  promised 
to  give  him  Two  thousand  Pounds  which  I  have  paid  him,  and 
whereas  I  also  promised  to  my  daughter  Susannah  the  like  sum 
as  her  marriage  portion  which  I  have  since  paid  to  her  husband 
Beverly  Robinson:  it  is  my  will  that  the  like  sum  be  paid  to 
each  of  my  other  daughters,  to  wit  Mary  and  Margaret  Philipse, 
at  their  marriage  *  *  *  and  as  good  an  outsett  in  clothing, 
plate,  kitchen  and  household  furniture  as  my  eldest  daughter 
Susannah  has  received  from  me. 

"  I  bequeath  to  my  daughter  Susannah,  wife  of  Beverly  Rob- 
inson, all  that  dwelling  house  gang  way  and  Lott  of  ground 
whereon  I  now  live,  and  to  my  daughter  Mary  the  dwelling 
house  and  Lott  where  Mr.  David  Clarkson  lately  lived  being  the 
corner  of  Stone  street,  and  to  my  daughter  Margaret  all  that 
house  and  Lott  bounded  South  by  Mr.  Chambers,  west  by  high 
water  mark,  north  partly  by  an  Alley  and  partly  by  the  house 
and  grounds  of  Bartholemew  Le  Rouse,  and  east  partly  by  the 
ground  of  the  said  Rouse  and  partly  by  the  Broadway,  and  to 
my  son  Philip  '  my  dwelling  house  where  my  uncle  Adolph 
Philipse  lived  and  dyed  in '  and  store  house  and  lot  of  ground 
thereto  belonging:  and  to  my  son  Frederick  all  that  my  corner 

'This  is  the  farm  and  church  lot  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Yonkers. 


32  HISTORY    OK   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

house  fronting  Broadway  and  Stone  street,  and  the  house  and 
ground  where  John  Roome  now  lives  and  my  storehouse  and  lot 
fronting  Broad  Street. 

"  I  devise  to  my  wife  Johanna  my  Coach  house  in  New  Street 
during  her  life.     *    *    * 

"To  my  son  Frederick  all  my  stock  and  utensils  and  all  my 
negroes,  except  my  negro  boy  Charles  whom  I  bequeath  to  my 
wife.  *  *  *  I  appoint  my  dearly  beloved  wife  Johanna 
Philipse,  my  son  Philip,  my  son  in  law  Beverley  Robinson 
executors  of  this  Will,  and  my  ,  daughters  Mary  and  Margaret 
executrixes.  In  virtue  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand 
and  seal  this  sixth  of  June  in  the  year  one  thousand  and  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  one. 

"  Feed  Philipse.     (L.  S.)" 

"  Witnesses  Jos.  Murray, 

Wm.  Livingston, 
James  Emott." 

A  codicil  to  this  will  July  22d,  1751,  gives  to  his  wife  Johanna 
the  use  of  the  houses  and  lots  in  New  York  given  in  the  will  to 
his  daughters,  during  her  life,  and  enumerates  forty-six  negroes, 
which  were  divided  among  his  children. 

Frederick  Philipse,  the  oldest  son,  was  the  last  lord  of  the 
Manor  of  Philipsburg.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  quiet 
manners  and  indisposed  to  exertion.  He  was  colonel  of  militia, 
and  member  of  the  Provincial  Assembly.  At  the  time  of  the 
Revolution  he  adhered  to  the  Royal  cause  but  took  no  active 
'  part  in  hostility  to  the  new  government  and  was  permitted  to 
live  in  quiet  neutrality  in  Connecticut,  Upon  giving  his  parole. 
In  an  evil  hour  he  was  induced  to  go  to  New  York,  when  occu- 
pied by  the  British  and  very  imprudently  neglected  all  warn- 
ings to  return.  In  consequence  he  was  with  many  others 
attainted  of  treason,  his  immense  estate  of  Philipsburg  confis- 
cated and  sold  in  small  parcels  to  his  former  tenants,  who  thus 
became  landlords,  and  he  himself  banished  from  his  native  land 
where  his  ancestors  had  been  so  highly  distinguished,  went  to 
England  and  ended  his  days  there.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Charles  Williams,  Esq.,  and  his  descendants  are 
still  living  in  Great  Britain. 

In  the  Cathedral,  in  Chester,  England,  is  a  marble  tablet  to 
his  memory  bearing  the  following  inscription: 


FREHERICK    PHILIFSE-  "CDlDnel"-  (ah,  17E5,) 

From  painting,  in  passession  of 
New  York  Histarical  SjciBty. 


ARTOTYPE,     £.     BIER8TADT,     N,     Y 


GENERA!;   HISTORY.  33 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Frederick  Philipse,  Esq.,  late  of 
the  province  of  New  York,  a  gentleman  in  whom  the  various 
Social,  Domestic  and  Religious  virtues  were  eminently  united. 
The  uniform  rectitude  of  his  conduct  commanded  the  esteem 
of  others,  whilst  the  benevolence  of  his  heart  and  the  gentleness 
of  his  manners  secured  their  love:  and  firmly  attached  to  his 
Sovereign  and  British  Constitution  he  opposed,  at  the  hazzard 
of'  his  life,  the  late  Rebellion  in  North  America,  and  for  this 
faithful  discharge  of  his  duty  to  his  King  and  Country  he  was 
proscribed,  and  his  Estate,  one  of  the  largest  in  New  York,  was 
confiscated  by  the  usurped  Legislature  of  that  Province:  when 
the  British  troops  were  withdrawn  from  New  York  in  1783  he 
quitted  a  province  to  which  he  had  always  been  an  ornament 
and  benefactor,  and  came  to  England  leaving  all  his  property 
behind  him,  which  reverse  of  fortune  he  bore  with  that  calm- 
ness, fortitude  and  dignity,  which  had  distinguished  him 
through  every  former  stage  of  his  life.  He  was  born  at  New 
York  the  12th  day  of  Sept.,  1720,  and  died  in  this  place  the  30 
April  1785  aged  65  years." 

Philip  Philipse,  the 
second  son,  who  with  his 
sisters  became  the  owner 
of  the  Highland  Patent, 
married  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Marston.'  They  were  n(,S 
the  parents  of  three  children:  Adolph,  born  August  17th,  1745; 
Frederick,  born  May  3d,  1755;  and  Nathaniel,  born  August  5th, 
1756.  Philip  Philipse  died  at  an  early  age.  May  9th,  1768,  and 
was  buried  in  the  vault  of  Nathaniel  Marston,  in  Trinity  Church, 
New  York. 

'Nathaniel  Mai'ston,  the  ancestor  of  the  family,  was  born  in  Leicestershire  in 
1600,  settled  in  the  West  Indies  in  1633,  and  was  agent  of  the  Company  for 
settling  the  Island  of  Providence  "  on  account  of  his  knowledge  of  those  parts." 
He  had  a  wife,  Mary,  and  a  son  John,  who  had  a  Patent  for  land  on  Long  Island 
in  1666.  John  married  Anne  Say  and  had  two  children,  Nathaniel  and  Anne. 
Nathaniel  was  born  about  1665  and  left  Long  Island  and  settled  in  New  York, 
where  he  was  a  prominent  citizen  and  for  many  years  vestryman  of  Trinity 
Church,  and  helped  to  build  the  church  at  New  Rochelle.  He  married  Margriete, 
daughter  of  Abel  and  Anetje  Hardenbrock  and  died  in  1737,  leaving  children: 
Nathaniel;  Thomas,  who  died  in  1741,  unmarried;  Margaret,  wife  of  — —  Hendly; 
John,  (who  had  wife  Mary  and  children:  Mary,  wife  of  George  Richards,  and 
Anne,  wife  of  John  Minot);  Mary,  who  died  unmarried;  and  Anne,  wife  of 
Ebenezer  Grant. 
3 


34  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 


WILL   OF  PHILIP   PHILIPSE. 


"In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  I  Philip  Philipse  of  the  City 
of  New  York,  being  at  present  weak  in  body  but  of  sound  and 
disposing  mind  and  Memory  do  make  this  my  last  will  &  Test- 
ament in  manner  and  form  following. 

"First,  I  will  that  all  my  just  debts  be  paid  and  satisfied, 
for  the  paymen  whereof  I  do  hereby  charge  all  that  my  Tract 
or  Lot  of  land  called  Lot  Number  eight,  situate  in  the  County 
of  Dutchess,  containing  about  eleven  thousand  and  fifty  seven 
acres,  and  which  for  that  purpose  I  do  hereby  order  and  em- 
power my  executors  hereinafter  mentioned  or  the  majority  of 
them  to  sell  and  dispose  of  the  said  tract  or  Lot  of  Land  to  any 
purchaser  or  purchasers  in  fee  simple.  Item  I  give  and  bequeath 
unto  my  beloved  wife  Margaret  Philipse  all  my  plate  furniture 
and  personal  estate  whatsoever. 

"Item,  all  the  rest  of  my  real  estate  whatsoever,  not  here- 
inbefore disposed  of  I  give  unto  my  said  wife  Margaret  Philipse 
and  unto  my  sons  Adolph  Philipse,  Frederick  Philipse,  and 
Nathaniel  Philipse,  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  equally  to 
be  divided  among  them  share  and  share  alike.  And  if  any  of 
my  said  children  should  happen  to  die  under  age,  and  without 
lawful  issue  and  in  such  case  I  give  and  devise  the  part  or  share 
of  him,  so  dying  under  age  and  without  lawful  Issue  unto  my 
said  wife  and  surviving  children,  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever 
equally  to  be  divided  between  them,  share  and  share  alike. 

"Item,  I  give  and  bequeath  all  the  monies  that  shall  arise 

Nathaniel  was  born  March  27th,  1704,  and  married  Mary,  d3,ughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Crook.  Like  his  father  he  was  a  prominent  citizen  and  Warden  of 
Trinity.  He  died  October  21st,  1778,  and  was  buried  in  a  vault  in  Trinity  Church. 
His  children  were:  1st,  Margaret,  born  March  14th,  1737-8. 

3d,  Nathaniel,  born  December  1st,  1730,  and  married  Anna,  daughter  of 
Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt.  Their  children  were:  Frances,  wife  of  Charles  Morgan, 
afterwards  Warburton,  Bishop  of  Lemerick;  and  Mary,  who  married  her  cousin, 
Frederick  Philipse,  son  of  Philip. 

After  the  death  of  Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt,  his  widow  married Van  Home 

and  had  four  children:  Aug;ustus  Valette;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Thomas  S.  Clarkson; 
Frederick;  Ann  Mary,  wife  of  Levinus  Clarkson;  and  James  P. 

3d,  Thomas,  born  April  16th,  1739,  married  Amelia  Lispenard,  and  died  January 
11th,  1814. 

4th,  John,  born  December  6th,  1742,  graduated  at  Kings  College,  1760.  He 
married  Rachel,  wife  of  Thomas  Lawrence,  and  had  children:  Mary,  wife  of 
Thomas  White;  Nathaniel;  Rachel,  wife  of  Nathaniel  Grant;  Thomas  and  John. 
There  are  descendants  of  this  family  in  England  and  the  West  Indies. 


PHILIP    PHILIPSE  (Db,  1758.) 

Frnm  painting  in  passessian  of 
Phllipse-  G-DU-u-ernEur  family. 


AUTOTYPE,     c.     BIEHPTADT,-*  N 


GENERAL   HISTOEY.  35 

from  the  sale  of  the  said  Lot  number  eight  herein  before  ordered 
to  be  sold  that  shall  be  more  than  sufficient  for  the  payment  of 
my  debts  unto  my  said  wife  Margaret  Philipse,  her  executors 
and  assigns  forever. 

"And  lastly  I  do  hereby  nominate  and  appoint  my  said  wife 
Margaret  Philipse,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Marston,  The  Honourable 
Roger  Morris  Esq.  and  Beverly  Robinson,  executors  of  this  my 
last  will  and  Testament. 

"In  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal 
this  thirtieth  day  of  January  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thous- 
and seven  hundred  and  sixty  eight. 

"Philip  Philipse." 

After  the  decease  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Margaret  Philipse 
married  Rev.  John  Ogilvie,  D.D.,  assistant  minister  of  Trinity 
Church,  April  15th,  1769.  He  died  November  26th,  1774.  She 
survived  him  many  years  and  died  February  11th,  1807.  There 
were  no  children  by  this  marriage. 

Nathaniel,  the  youngest  son,  graduated  from  King's  College 
(now  Columbia)  May  18th,  1773.  He  was  an  officer  in  the 
British  army,  and  his  commission  as  Ensign  in  the  17th  Regi- 
ment, signed  by  Sir  William  Howe,  is  dated  August  28th,  1776. 
He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Germautown,  October  4th,  1777, 
at  the  early  age  of  21  years,  1  month,  and  29  days.  The  follow- 
ing letter  bore  to  his  friends  the  notice  of  his  untimely  death. 

"  Camp  near  Germantown 

11  8berl777 
"My  Dear  Fred. 

"  It  is  with  the  greatest  concern  that  I  find  myself  obliged  to 
inform  you  of  the  unhappy  fate  of  poor  Nat.  He  was  killed 
the  4th  instant,  in  an  attack  made  by  23,000  rebels  on  German- 
town.  He  received  his  wound  on  the  left  cheek,  the  ball  lodged 
near  the  brain.  He  was  buried,  but  Mr.  Marston  had  him  dug 
up  and  carried  to  Philadelphia  where  he  was  interred  the  6th 
inst. 

"It  must  be  a  great  consolation  to  his  friends  that  (since  it 
was  God's  will  he  should  be  cutoff)  he  fell  universally  regretted. 
Also  that  he  did  not  linger  any  time  in  torment.  He  never 
spoke.  This  is  indeed  a  severe  trial  for  poor  Mrs.  Ogilvie.  God 
grant  her  fortitude  to  bear  it.     We  had  a  number  of  officers 


36  HISTORY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

killed  and  wounded.  Mr  and  Mrs  Marston  and  family  are  verj'^ 
well.  I  assure  you  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  return  the  partic- 
ular attention  they  honor  me  with.  I  shall  always  acknowledge 
it  with  gratitude.  I  hope  your  familj^  are  all  well.  Present  my 
affectionate  respects  and  love  to  Mrs  Marston,  Mrs  Ogilyie, 
Philip  and  Miss  Marston. 

"And  believe  me  to  be  Dear  Fred 
"Your  most  affectionate 
"Wm  Jehbson." 

As  Nathaniel  Philipse  was  of  lawful  age  when  he  died  and 
left  no  will,  his  share  of  his  father's  estate  went  to  his  eldest 
brother,  Adolph,  who  died  June  8th,  1785,  unmarried,  and  from 
his  will  dated  June  2d,  1785,  and  proved  June  24th  of  same 
year  it  is  learned  that  he  gave  to  his  mother  the  use  of  one 
thousand  pounds  during  her  life;  to  Mary  Saunders  £250;  and 
to  Elizabeth  Aymar  the  use  of  £500  till  she  was  21  years  of  age, 
or  married,  and  then  the  principal  was  to  be  paid  to  her.  He 
also  gave  Ann  Grant  and  Margaret  Grant  £150  each. 

The  testator  charged  his  entire  estate  with  the  payment  of 
these  legacies,  and  gave  all  the  residue  of  his  estate  to  his  broth- 
er, Frederick  Philipse,  during  his  life,  and  after  his  death  to 
the  testator's  neice,  Mary  Philipse,  daughter  of  his  brother  Fred- 
erick, her  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  In  case  she  should  die  in 
her  father's  lifetime  without  issue  the  same  was  to  go  to  Fred- 
erick Philipse  absolutely. 

He  appointed  his  mother  Margaret  Ogilvie,  executrix;  Thom- 
as Belden  and  Richard  Harrison,  executors. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Ogilvie  died  intestate,  leaving  as  her  sole  and 
only  heir  her  son,  Frederick  Philipse. 

Both  Adolph  Philipse  and  his  brother  Frederick  were  officers 
in  the  British  army.  The  commission  of  the  former,  as  captain 
in  an  "Independent  Company  of  Rangers"  is  signed  by  Wil- 
liam Tryon,  the  last  provincial  governor,  and  dated  September 
9th,  1772;  while  the  commission  of  the  latter,  as  captain  in  the 
"Safe  Guards  whereof  Beverly  Robinson  is  Colonel,"  is  signed 
by  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  dated  July  1st,  1779.  Frederick' 
Philipse  graduated  from  King' s  College,  and  his  diploma,  dated 
May  18th,  1773,  is,  with  that  of  his  ill-fated  brother  Nathaniel, 
among  the  Philipse  papers  in  possession  of  the  family. 

In  1811,  Frederick  Philipse  released  to  his  daughter,  Mary, 


FREnERICK    PHILIPSE-  "Captain"-  (nb,  lB2g,) 

From  painting  in  pDSSEssian  of 
PhnipsE-  G-DnvRTnBnr  family. 


iHTOTYPE,     E      BIEReTADT, 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  37 

his  life  interest  in  Lot  No.  6,  the  fee  of  which  she  iaherited  by 
the  will  of  his  brother  Adolph. 


^^T"^^ 


It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  that  the  whole  of  the  High- 
land Patent  was  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution  vested  in  Beverly 
Robinson  and  his  wife  Susannah,  Roger  Morris  and  his  wife 
Mary,  Frederick  Philipse  and  his  daughter  Mary,  and  Mrs.  Ogil- 
vie.  The  shares  of  Robinson  and  Morris  were  confiscated  as  will 
be  seen  in  a  succeeding  chapter.  Frederick  Philipse  married  his 
cousin,  Mary  Marston,  who  died  in  December,  1849,  and  by  this 
marriage  he  had  one  child,  Mary,  born  October  14th,  1779,  who 
married  Samuel  Gouverneur  about  1801.  After  the  decease  of 
his  first  wife,  Mr.  Philipse  married  Maria  Kemble,  who  left  no 
children.  Frederick  Philipse  died  May  3d,  1829,  leaving  his 
daughter  Mary  Gouverneur  his  sole  heir.  The  children  of  Mary 
Philipse  and  Samuel  Gouverneur  were:  Frederick  Philipse, 
(who  by  an  Act  of 
Legislature'  took  the 
name    of    Frederick 

Philipse)  ;      Adolph  -  i  ,^    , 

Nathaniel,  born  Sep-       ^^l^U,^  ^ ^.^£^ 
tember    29th,    1805,  / 

who   married  Eliza- 
beth Gill.     He  died 


S^ 


/i'SO 


^ 


January  28th,  1853,  leaving  one  daughter  Mary,  the  wife  of 
John  H.  Iselin;  Samuel  M.  W.,  who  died  unmarried  December 
18th,  1876;  Margaret  Philipse,  who  married  William  Moore; 
and  Mary  Marston,  who  is  now  living  at  Garrisons. 

Frederick  Philipse,  the  eldest  son,  married  Catharine  Wads- 
worth  Post.  He  died  October  26th,  1874,  leaving  two  daughters: 
Catharine  Wadsworth  Philipse;  and  Margaret  Gouverneur  Phil- 
ipse, both  now  living  at  Garrisons. 

Samuel  Gouverneur  died  January  28th,  1847,  at  the  age  of  76. 

'"An  act  to  change  the  name  of  Frederick  P.  Gouverneur,  passed  April  7th, 
1830."  "Be  it  enacted,  &c."  "The  name  of  Frederick  P.  Gouverneur  of  the 
town  of  PhUipstown  in  the  county  of  Putman  is  hereby  changed  to  Frederick 
Philipse,  by  which  latter  name  he  shall  be  hereafter  known  in  all  cases  what- 
soever." 


38  HISTORY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

His  wife  survived  him  a  year  and  died  December  4th,  1848.   She 
left  her  real  estate  to  her  five  children. 

In  the  old  Philipse  Manor  House  at  Yonkers  one  feature  has 
puzzled  colonial  antiquarians.  Above  the  mantel,  in  the  prin- 
cipal room,  is  blazoned  in  relief  the  well  known  ostrich  plume 
badge  of  the  Princes  of  Wales. ,  That  the  Philipses — holding 
their  lands  by  favor  of  the  Crown,  high  in  the  colonial  councils 
of  the  British  monarch,  growing  rich  in  the  sunshine  of  royal 
patronage  and  confidence,  ostentatiously  loyal  while  the  colony 
was  dividing  into  tory  and  whig — should  have  committed  a  tech- 
nical high  treason  and  have  flung  in  the  face  of  royalty  so  gratu- 
itous an  insult  as  the  unauthorized  display  of  the  badge  in 
question  would  have  been,  is  not  to  be  imagined.  That  by 
special  permission  they  bore  the  badge  of  the  heirs  apparent  of 
the  crown  is  equally  out  of  the  question,  since  such  a  conces- 
sion woiald  have  been  a  matter  of  record  and  well  known  to  the 
royal  heralds,  who  have  no  note  of  this,  and  the  fact  would 
have  been  a  proud  memory  of  the  family,  which,  however,  has 
no  tradition  in  such  regard.  The  only  remaining  alternative  is 
that  the  Philipse  family  blazoned  the  badge  in  their  own  right, 
independently  of  the  Princes  of  Wales,  not  improbably  from  a 
common  source.  This  is  supported  by  the  tradition  corrobor- 
ated by  historical  data,  that  the  Philipses  came  from  Bohemia; 
for  the  current  derivation  of  the -badge  of  the  Princes  of  Wales 
is  that  the  Black  Prince  took  it  from  the  blind  king  of  Bo- 
hemia conquered  at  Cressy.  That  an  old  Bohemian  family 
should  bear  the  badge  in  its  own  right  is  therefore  easily  under- 
stood. But  a  still  more  striking  coincidence  has  been  pointed 
out  by  Mr.  Woodward,  the  American  antiquarian,  who  cites  the 
more  trustworthy  derivation,  viz.,  that  the  ostrich  plumes  came 
into  British  heraldry  from  Philippa  of  Hainault,  whose  cogniz- 
ance it  was.  The  continental  method,  devised  among  the  Ro- 
mans, of  naming  all  daughters  by  the  patronym  of  the  gens,  so 
that  the  daughters  of  the  Cornelian  gens  would  be  named  in 
the  order  of  seniority,  Cornelia  Prima,  Cornelia  Secunda,  &c., 
and  the  heiresses  of  Philip  all  Philippas,  is  so  well  known  and 
was  so  generally  followed,  that  the  coincidence,  combined  with 
that  of  the  badge,  almost  proves  the  identity  of  the  family 
from  whom  Philippa  of  Hainault  took  the  name  with  that 
whose  name  has  been  preserved  as  "Philip  (se)  "—in  itself  a 
patronym.     This  combined  with  the  identity  of  the  other  or 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  39 

Bohemian  tradition  (also  common  both  to  the  badge  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Philipse  family)  leaves  it  hard  to 
doubt  that  the  heir-apparent  of  the  British  Crown  and  the  Vred- 
erick  Flypsen,  driven  from  his  country  because  of  his  religion, 
and  seeking  his  fortunes  in  New  Amstei-dam,  derived  the  badge 
of  ostrich  plumes  from  a  common  source.  Whether  from 
Philippa  of  Hainault  or  the  blind  king  of  Bohemia,  or  neither, 
does  not  matter,  since  the  probable  cause  of  the  varying  tra- 
ditions as  to  whence  the  Black  Prince  took  his  cognizance  is 
that  it  was  derived  from  an  older  source  from  which  it  had  also 
descended  both  to  the  blind  king  and  the  heiress  of  Philip. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  DIVISION  OF  THE   HIGHLAND  PATENT. 


UPON  the  decease  of  Frederick  Philipse  in  1751,  the  High • 
land  Patent,  by  the  terms  of  his  will,  passed  into  the 
possession  of  his  four  younger  children;  Philip,  Susannah, 
Mary  and  Margaret.  The  last  died  about  1752,  without  issue, 
and  her  share  went  to  others  in  equal  proportions.  It  will  be 
seen  by  referring  to  the  terms  of  the  will  that  these  persons  did 
not  have  the  estate  in  fee  simple  absolute,  but  that  it  was  en- 
tailed, they  owning  simply  a  life  interest.  Before  proceeding 
to  a  division  of  this  tract,  they  resolved  to  take  steps  to  bar 
the  entail.  The  documents  connected  with  the  case  are  curious 
and  interesting  as  showing  the  old  forms  of  English  law,  and  a 
complicated  course  of  procedure  which  has  long  since  passed 
away. 

The  first  step  in  this  process  was  to  make  an  arrangement  by 
which  certain  lands  which  had  been  leased  to  Petrus  Dubois 
could  be  included,  and  the  following  instrument  was  executed. 

"  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come,  I,  Peter  Dubois, 
Junior,  of  Dutchess  County  send  greeting.  Whereas  I  do  hold 
for  the  term  of  my  life,  out  of  the  tract  of  land  lately  belong- 
ing to  Adolph  Philipse,  Esq.,  deceased,  in  the  county  of 
Dutchess,  conimonly  known  by  the  name  of  the  Highlands  or 
Philipse' s  upper  Patent,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  River, 
at  the  south  side  of  the  Pishkill,  begining  at  the  head  of  a 
spring  by  a  Botten  Wood  tree  marked  on  two  sides  with  three 
notches,  and  a  cross  on  the  north  side,  then  north  westward 
along  said  spring,  till  it  comes  in  a  brook  or  run  of  water;  then 
northward  along  said  brook  till  it  comes  in  the  Fishkill  Bay  by 
a  place  called  Plum  Point,  and  then  beginning  again  by  the 
Botten  Wood  tree  at  the  head  of  the  aforesaid  spring;  thence 
south  east  to  the  body  of  the  high  hills;  then  eastward  along 


SUSiiNIsraH    PHILTPSE-  Mrs,  Rnbinsnn:  ah.  (1822) 

Prnm  painting  in  passBssinn  nf 
Neto-  Tork  Historical  SociEtv 


ARTOTYPE,     E      BIERSTADT,     n. 


GENERAL   HISTOEY.  41 

said  hills  and  from  the  aforesaid  place  called  Plum  Point,  and 
eastward  along  the  said  Fishkill  till  it  includes  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  acres  of  land,  between  the  high  hills  and  the  Fishkills, 
with  the  hereditaments  and  appurtenances,  the  immediate  re- 
version or  remainder  whereof  doth  now  belong  unto  Philip 
Philipse,  Beverly  Robinson,  and  Susannah,  his  wife,  and  Mary 
Philipse,  and  to  the  respective  heirs  of  the  bodys  of  the  said 
Philip,  Susannah,  and  Mary  forever. 

"Now,  know  ye  that  for  the  perfecting  of  some  assurance 
shortly  to  be  made  by  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  Beverly  Robin- 
son, and  Susannah,  his  wife,  and  Mary  Philipse,  of  the  said 
lands  and  tenements  by  way  of  common  recovery,  for  and  in 
consideration  of  one  shilling,  lawful  money  of  New  York,  to 
me  paid,  I  have  granted  and  sui-rendered  and  by  these  presents 
do  grant  and  surrender  unto  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  Beverly 
Robinson,  and  Susannah,  his  wife,  and  Mary  Philipse,  and 
their  heirs,  upon  the  condition  hereinafter  mentioned,  all  the 
said  lands  and  tenements,  and  all  my  estate,  right,  title,  and  in- 
terest therein  and  within  the  bounds  of  the  said  tract  of  land 
called  the  Highlands  or  Philipse' s  upper  Patent. 

''  To  have  and  to  hold  to  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  Beverly 
Robinson,  and  Susannah,  his  wife,  and  Mary  Philipse,  and  their 
heirs,  upon  condition  that  if  they,  the  said  Philip  Philipse, 
Beverly  Robinson,  and  Susannah,  his  wife,  and  Mary  P'hilipse 
do  not  pay,  or  cause  to  be  paid  unto  me,  the  said  Peter  D.  Bois, 
the  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds,  lawful  money  of  New  York, 
upon  the  first  day  of  June  next  ensuing  after  the  date  hereof, 
thai  then  and  from  henceforth  this  present  grant  and  surrender 
shall  be  utterly  void  and  of  none  effect,  and  that  then  it  shall 
be  lawful  for  me,  the  said  lands  and  tenements  to  repossess  and 
enjoy,  as  in  my  former  estate  and  right,  anything  in  these 
presents  in  any  wise  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

"  In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  seal, 
the  twenty-seventh  day  of  June,  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of 
the  Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord,  George  the  Second,  Annoque 
Domini  1753. 

"Petrus  Dubois.     (L.  S.)" 

The  next  step  was  whac  was  styled  a  "  deed  of  lease  and  re- 
lease "  by  which  the  premises  were  leased  to  a  third  party  who 
was  in  reality  the  attorney  for  the  persons  interested. 


42  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

."  This  Indenture  made  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  June  in  the 
twenty-seventh  year  of  the  Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord, 
George,  the  Second,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britian, 
France  and  Ireland.,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  &c.  Anno 
Domini,  1753,  between  Philip  Philipse,  Beverly  Robinson  and 
Susannah,  his  wife,  and  Mary  Philipse  of  the  first  part  and 
William  Alexander  of  the  second  part  Witnesseth,  that  the 
parties  afore  said  of  the  first  part  for  and  in  consideration  of 
five  shillings  to  them  in  hand  paid  by  the  said  William  AleX; 
ander  have  bargained  and  sold  and  by  these  presents  do  bargain 
and  sell  to  the  said  William  Alexander  all  that  large  tract  of 
land  situate  and  being  on  the  east  side  of  Hudsons  River  in 
Dutchess  County  in  the  province  of  New  York  which  by  letters 
patent  was  granted  to  Adolph  Philipse  deceased  which  said  tract 
of  land  is  commonly  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Mr. 
Phillipses  upper  or  Highland  patent  together  with  the  appurte- 
nances, which  tract  of  land  is  more  fully  to  be  described  in  a 
release  and  deed  to  lead  to  ihe  uses  of  a  recovery  of  the  premises 
to-morrow  to  be  made,  Together  with  all  the  estate,  right,  title 
and  interest  of  the  parties  aforesaid  of  the  first  part  and  of  every 
of  them  of  in  and  to  the  said  large  tract  of  land  and  premises 
with  the  appurtenances. 

"  To  have  and  to  hold  the  above-bargained  premises  to  the 
said  William  Alexander  from  the  day  before  the  day  of  the 
date  of  these  presents  for  and  during  the  term  of  one  whole 
year  from  thence  next  ensuing  to  the  intent  that  by  virtue  of 
these  presents  and  of  the  Statute  for  transferring  uses  into  pos- 
session jthe  said  William  Alexander  may  be  in  the  actual  posses- 
sion of  the  premises  and  thereby  enabled  to  accept  of  a  grant 
and  a  release  of  a  freehold  in  the  premises,  to  morrow  to  be 
made  that  he  may  be  a  perfect  Tenant  to  a  precipe  in  a  common 
recovery  of  the  premises  to  be  suffered.    . 

"  In  witness  whereof  the  parties  to  these  presents  Indentures 
have  interchangeably  set  their  hands  and  seals  the  day  and  year 
first  above  written. 

"  Philip  Philipse.  (l.  s.) 

"  Susannah  Robinson,  (l.  s.) 
"  William  Alexander,  (l.  s.) 
"  Bev.  Robinson.  (l.  s.) 

"  Mary  Philipse.  (l.  s.) 


MARY  FHILIPSE-  Mrs,  Mnrrls-  (nh.  1825,) 

Ftdih  painting  in  possEssinn  of 
PhllipsE-  G-DuvBrneur  family. 


AHTOTYPE      E.     BIERBTADT,     » 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  43 

"  Sealed  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of 

"  John  Rypel. 

"  Catherine  Jandin." 

The  "  Statute  for  transferring  uses  into  possession,"  which  is 
mentioned  in  the  foregoing  lease  is  very  frequently  mentioned 
in  ancient  deeds.  By  its  provisions  a  person  who  held  a  lease 
of  a  piece  of  land  for  one  year  was  considered  in  actual  posses- 
sion, although  he  might  never  have  seen  it.  It  then  became 
customary  when  selling  land  to  parties  who  did  not  intend  to 
enter  upon  actual  occupancy,  to  give  a  lease  for  "one  whole 
year"  for  a  nominal  sum.  By  this  means  the  person  in  the  eye 
of  the  law  became  actually  "seized  "  of  the  premises  the  same  as 
if  dwelling  upon  it.  The  next  day,  a  deed  was  made  out  in  full 
form,  and  with  all  the  verbosity  which  characterized  ancient 
conveyances  of  land,  and  which  has  not  yet  wholly  disappeared, 
and  the  delivery  of  this  deed  was  in  effect  putting  the  purchaser 
in  actual  possession,  as  much  as  the  still  more  ancient  form  of 
delivery  to  the  purchaser  of  a  "  turf  and  a  twig  "  as  a  part  and 
parcel  of  the  granted  premises.  In  accordance  with  this  law 
and  custom  the  following  deed  was  given  the  next  day. 

"  This  Indenture  Quintipartite,  made  the  twenty-ninth 
day  of  -June  in  the  twenty  seventh  year  of  the  Reign  of  our 
Sovereign  Lord  George  the  Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  of 
Great  Britian  France  and  Ireland  King  Defender  of  the  Faith 
&c  Annoque  Domini  1753,  Between  Philip  Philipse  of  the  first 
part,  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah  his  wife  of  the  Second 
part,  Mary  Philipse  of  the  third  part  William  Alexander  of  the 
fourth  part  and  Thomas  Jones  of  the  fifth  part,  Whereas  Colonel 
Frederick  Philipse  deceased  father  of  the  said  Philip,  Susannah 
and  Mary  by  his  last  Will  and  Testament  in  his  life  time  duly 
made  and  executed  by  him  and  bearing  date  on  or  about  the  sixth 
day  of  June  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fif tj^  one  amongst 
other  things  recited  that  there  was  a  large  tract  of  land  situate 
and  being  on  the  East  side  of  Hudsons  River  which  by  letters 
patent  bearing  date  on  or  about  the  seventeenth  day  of  June  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety 
seven  was  granted  unto  Adolph  Philipse  Uncle  to  the  testator 
and  his  heirs,  butted  and  bounded  as  therein  mentioned  refer- 
ence being  thereunto  had,  which  said  tract  of  land  was  com- 
monly called  or  known  by  the  name  of  Mr.  Philipses  upper  or 


44  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

highland  patent  and  which  said  large  tract  of  land  and  the 
estate  right  and  title  in  and  to  the  same  then  belonged  to  and 
was  vested  in  the  said  Frederick  Philipse  the  Testator  as  heir  at 
Law  to  his  said  Uncle  Wherefore  he  the  said  Frederick  by  his 
last  Will  did  devise  and  bequeath  the  said  large  tract  of  land 
with  the  appurtenances  in  the  manner  in  the  said  last  Will  set 
forth  that  is  to  say,  one  quarter  part  thereof  unto  his  said  son 
Philip  party  to  these  presents  and  to  the  heirs  of  his  body  for- 
ever, one  other  quarter  part  thereof  unto  his  eldest  Daughter 
Susannah  party  to  these  presents  and  to  the  heirs  of  her  body 
forever.  One  other  quarter  part  thereof  unto  his  second  daugh- 
ter Mary  party  to  these  presents  and  to  the  heirs  of  her  body 
forever,  and  the  other  quarter  part  thereof  unto  his  youngest 
daughter  Margaret  Philipse  since  deceased  and  to  the  heirs  of 
her  body  forever,  and  the  said  Frederick  the  Testator  by  his 
said  last  Will  did  provide  that  if  his  said  son  Philip  Philipse 
or  any  or  either  of  his  said  daughters  should  happen  to  die 
without  issue  then  and  in  such  case  the  quarter  part  or  parts 
thereby  devised  to  him  her  or  those  of  them  so  dying  without 
issue  he  did  Will  devise  and  bequeath  unto  the  survivor  of  them 
equally  to  be  divided  between  them  and  to  the  respective  heirs 
of  their  body  forever  and  if  three  of  them  should  happen  to 
die  without  issue  then  he  willed  devised  and  bequeathed  the 
three  quarter  parts  of  those  so  dying  without  issue  unto  the  sur- 
vivor of  them  and  to  the  heirs  of  the  body  of  such  survivor 
forever  with  sundry  further  remainders  over  upon  the  contin- 
gency s  therein  mentioned  as  by  the  said  last  Will  duly  proved 
and  remaining  of  record  in  the  Secretary's  Office  of  New  York, 
reference  being  thereunto  had  fully  and  at  large  may  appear. 

"  Now  this  Indenture  Witnesseth  that  (in  order  to  the  bar- 
ring and  docking  the  said  Intails  and  remainder  over)  the 
parties  aforesaid  of  the  first  second  and  third  part  for  and  in 
consideration  of  the  sum  of  five  shillings  to  them  in  hand  paid 
by  the  said  William  Alexander  the  receipt  whereof  they  do 
hereby  acknowledge  and  discharge  him  thereof  for  ever  have 
granted  bargained  sold  released  enfeoffed  and  confirmed  and 
they  and  every  of  them  by  these  presents  do  grant  bargain 
sell  release  enfeoff  and  confirm  to  the  said  William  Alexander 
party  hereto  (the  same  in  his  possession  being  by  virtue  of  a 
bargain  and  sale  to  him  thereof  made  bearing  date  the  day  be- 
fore the  day  of  the  date  of  these  presents  and  by  virtue  of  the 


MARG-fiRET    PHILIPSE-  (oh,  17S2,) 

FrDm  painting  in  possEssinn  nf 
Piiillpsp-  Gau-u-ernEur  family, 


PE,     c.     BIERSTADT, 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  45 

Statute  for  transferring  uses  into  possession)  and  to  his  assigns 
all  the  said  large  tract  of  land  situate  and  being  on  the  east  side 
of  Hudsons  River  which  by  the  Letters  patent  aforesaid  was 
granted  to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  which  said  tract  of  land  is 
commonly  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Mr.  Philipse' s 
upper  or  highland  patent,  together  with  all  the  estate  right  title 
and  interest  of  the  parties  aforesaid  of  the  first  second  and  third 
part  of  it  in  and  to  the  same  and  every  part  thereof  with  the 
appurtenances. 

"To  have  and  to  hold  the  above  bargained  and  released 
premises  unto  the  said  William  Alexander  and  his  assigns  for 
and  during  the  natural  lives  of  the  parties  aforesaid  of  the  first, 
second  and  third  part  to  the  intent  and  purpose  that  the  said 
William  Alexander  shall  and  may  be  perfect  tenant  of  the 
Freehold  of  all  the  lands  and  premises  above  mentioned  until 
one  good  and  perfect  recovery  may  be  had  against  him  the  said 
William  Alexander  of  the  same  lands  and  premises,  and  it  is 
covenanted,  granted,  concluded  and  agreed  by  and  between  all 
the  said  parties  to  these  presents  that  it  shall  and  may  be  law- 
ful to  and  for  the  said  Thomas  Jones  party  hereto  of  the  fifth 
part,  before  the  last  day  of  October  term  next  ensuing  the  date 
of  these  presents  to  prosecute  out  of  the  high  Court  of  Chan- 
cery for  the  province  of  New  York  one  or  more  Writt  or  Writts 
of  entry  Sur  Disseizin  in  Le  port  against  the  said  William 
Alexander  returnable  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York, 
whereby  the  said  Thomas  Jones  shall  and  may  demand  against 
the  said  William  Alexander  all  and  singular  the  aforesaid 
premises  with  the  appurtenances  by  the  name  of  five  hundred 
messuages,  twenty  mills,  twenty  dove  houses,  five  hundred  gar- 
dens, two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  thous- 
and acres  of  meadow,  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  pasture, 
two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  wood,  thirty  thousand  acres  of 
Marsh,  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  covered  with  water  and  com- 
mon of  pasture  for  all  cattle,  with  appurtenances  at  Philipses 
upper  patent  and  Philipses  precinct  and  in  Dutchess,  or  by  such 
other  name  or  names,  quantity  or  quantitys,  quality  or  qualitys, 
number  or  content  of  acres,  as  shall  be  thought  fitt  and 
requisite,  unto  which  said  Writ  or  Writs,  the  said  William 
Alexander  shall  appear  in  his  proper  person  and  shall  vouch 
to  warrant  the  said  Philip  Philipse  herein  first  named  who  shall 
appear  gratis  upon  the  voucher  and  shall  enter  into  warranty 


46  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  shall  vouch  over  to  warrant  thp  said  Beverly  Robinson  and 
Susannah  his  wife  who  shall  also  appear  gratis  upon  the  voucher 
and  shall  enter  into  warranty  and  shall  vouch  over  to  warrant 
the  said  Mary  Philipse  party  to  these  presents  who  shall  also 
appear  gratis  upon  the  voucher  and  shall  enter  into  warranty 
and  shall  vouch  over  to  warrant  the  common  vouchee  and  the 
common  vouchee  shall  appear  and  Imparte  and  afterwards 
make  default  whereby  on'e  recovery  or  judgment  may  be  had 
and  given  for  the  said  Thomas  Jones  for  recovery  of  the  said 
lands  tenements  hereditaments  and  premises  aforesaid  against 
the  said  William  Alexander  and  for  the  said  William  Alexander 
to  recover  over  in  value  against  the  said  Philip  Philipse  first 
named  and  for  the  same  Philip  Philipse  to  recover  over  in  value 
against  the  said  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah  his  wife  and 
for  the  same  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah  his  wife  to  recover 
over  in  value  against  the  said  Mary  Philipse  party  to  these 
presents  and  for  the  said  Mary  Philipse  to  recover  over  in  value 
against  the  common  vouchee  according  to  the  manner  and  form 
of  common  Recoverys  in  such  case  used,  and  it  is  further  cove- 
nanted, granted  concluded  and  agreed  by  and  between  all  and 
every  of  the  said  parties  to  these  presents  and  the  true  intent 
and  meaning  of  the  parties  to  these  presents  is  that  from  and 
im.mediately  after  the  said  common  Recovery  shall  be  had  prose- 
cuted and  suffered  as  aforesaid  of  the  said  premises  the  said 
Recovery  shall  be  and  enure  and.  it  is  hereby  declared  to  have 
been  intended  to  be  and  enure  that  the  said  Thomas  Jones  and 
all  and  every  other  person  or  persons  which  shall  be  seized 
of  the  premises  or  any  part  thereof  by  force  and  virtue 
of  the  said  common  Recovery  shall  stand  and  be  seized  thereof 
and  of  every  part  and  parcel  thereof  with  their  and  every  of 
their  appurtenances  to  the  uses  following  to  witt,  as  for  touch- 
ing and  concerning  one  third  part  .(the  whole  in  three  equal 
parts  to  be  divided)  of  all  the  said  lands  and  premises,  to  the 
sole  and  only  proper  use  benefit  and  behoof  of  the  said  Philip 
Philipse,  party  to  these  presents  of  the  first  part  his  heirs  and 
assigns  forever  and  as  for  touching  and  concerning  one  other 
third  part  (the  whole  in  three  equal  parts  to  be  divided)  of  all 
the  said  lands  and  premises  to  the  sole  and  only  proper  use 
benefit  and  behoof  of  the  said  Susannah  party  to  these  presents 
of  the  second  part,  her  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  and  as  for 
touching  or  concerning  the  remaining  thiVd  part  (the  whole  in 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  47 

three  equal  parts  to  be  divided)  of  all  the  said  lands  and  prem- 
ises to  the  sole  and  only  proper  use,  benefit  and  behoof  of  the 
said  Mary  Philipse  party  to  these  presents  of  the  third  part  her 
heirs  and  assigns  forever  and  to  no  other  usfe,  intent  or  purpose 
whatsoever. 

"  In  Witness  Whereof  the  parties  to  these  present  Indentures 
have  interchangeably  set  their  hands  and  seals  the  day  and  year 
first  above  written. 

"Philip  Philipse. 

"  Susannah  Robinson. 

"William  Alexander. 

"Bev.  Robinson. 

"Mary  Philipse. 

"Thomas  Jones. 

The  role  in  the  action  of  Thomas  Jones  against  William  Alex- 
ander is  not  on  file  in  New  Yorls  county  or  Albany,  and  the 
only  trace  of  the  action  of  ejectment  contemplated  in  the  fore- 
going that  has  been  found  is  in  the  rough  minutes  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  Province  of  New  York  for  1753,  where 
the  following  appears  at  pages  271  and  292: 

"Mr.  Chief  Justice  DeLancey  took  his  seat  on  the  bench. 


(L. 

S.) 

(L. 

S.) 

(L. 

S.) 

(L. 

S.) 

(L. 

S.) 

(L. 

S.)" 

THOMAS  JONES, 

Demandant, 

against 

WILLIAM  ALEXANDER, 

Tenant. 


"  On  writ  of  entry  sur  .Dissiezin  in  leport  for  Tenements  and 
Commons  in  Dutchess  County. 

"The  writ  returned  and  filed,  the  demandant  appears  in  his 
proper  person  and  prays  the  tenant  may  be  called.  The  tenant 
being  called  appears  in  his  proper  person.  The  demandant 
counts  against  him. 

"The  tenant  vouches  Philip  Philipse  to  warrant:  Philip  Phil- 
ipse appears  gratis  in  his  proper  person.  Philip  Philipse 
present  in  Court  enters  into  warranty  and  prays  that  the  de- 
mandant may  count  against  him,  the  said  Philip  Philipse.    The 


48  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

demandant  counts  against  Philip  Philipse.  Philip  Philipse 
vouches  to  warrant  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah,  his  wife. 
Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah  his  wife  begin  called  appear 
gratis  in  their  propgr  person,  and  the  said  Susannah  being  first 
examined  by  the  Court,  the  said  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susan- 
nah his  wife  enter  into  warranty  and  pray  that  the  demandmant 
may  count  against  them.  The  demandmant  counts  against  Bev- 
erly Robinson  and  Susannah  his  wife.  Beverly  Robinson  and 
Susannah  his  wife  vouch  to  warrant  Mary  Philipse.  Mary 
Philipse  being  called  appears  gratis  in  her  proper  person. 
Mary  Philipse  present  in  Court  enters  into  warranty  and  that 
the  demandmant  may  count  against  her:  the  demandmant 
counts  against  Mary  Philipse.  Mary  Philipse  vouches  to  war- 
rant Thomas  Wenman:  Thomas  Weiiman  being  called,  appears 
in  his  proper  person.  Thomas  Wenman  present  in  Court  enters 
into  warranty  and  prays  that  the  demandmant  counts  against 
him.  The  demandant  counts  against  Thomas  Wenman.  Thomas 
Wenman,  present  in  Court,  pleads  that  Hugh  Hunt  did  not  dis- 
seize the  said  Thomas  Jones,  as  by  the  writ  and  count  it  is 
alleged.  The  demandmant  prayed  leave  to  imparle;  granted  by 
the  Court.  The  Remembrance  Roll  in  this  cause  marked  at  the 
bar  filled,  on  which  are  entered  the  precipe,  writ  of  entry  and 
sherifl"s  return.  Afterwards  the  demandmant  returned  into 
Court,  and  Thomas  Wenman  being  called,  did  not  appear, 
therefore  judgment  is  entered." 

"Present — The  Hon.  John  Chambers,  Esq.,  Second  Justice. 


THOMAS  JONES, 

Demandant^ 

against 

WILLIAM  ALEXANDER, 

Tenant. 


"  On  the  Writ  of  Seizin  in  this  cause,  the  Sheriff  of  Dutchess 
County,  returns  that  on  the  second  day  of  August,  instant,  he 
had  caused  the  demandmant  to  have  plenary  seizin  of  the  mes- 
suages, tenements  and  common  in  the  said  write  specified  with 
the  appurtenances.     Writ  of  Seizin  with  return  filed  enrollment 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  49 

of  writ  of  entry  and  return  recovery.  Writ  of  Seizin  and  return 
examined  and  signed  by  Mr.  Justice  Chambers  are  now  filed  and 
exemplification  thereof  made  and  delivered  to  the  demandant." 

The  lands  were  thus  freei  from  the  incumbrance  of  the  entail- 
ment and  we  now  have  premises  owned  by  Philip  Philipse,. 
Mary  Philipse  and  Susannah  Eobinson  (wife  of  Beverly  Robin- 
son); each  an  equal  share  in  fee  simple  absolute. 

In  1754,  Philip  Philipse,  Mary  Philipse  and  Susannah  Robin- 
son divided  the  tract  described  in  the  grant  to  Adolph  Philipse 
into  nine  lots,  and  made  an  actual  partition  of  the  same. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  partition  deed  for  lot  ~So.  8 
and  other  lots,  executed  by  Mary  Philipse  and  Susannah  Rob- 
inson to  Philip  Philipse: 

"  This  Indenture  made  the  seventh  day  of  February  in  the 
twenty -seventh  year  of  the  Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  Greorge 
tlie  Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  Great  Britain  France  and 
Ireland  King  Defender  of  the  Faith  &c  annoq  Dom  1754 
Between  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah  his  wife  and  Mary 
Philipse  of  the  first  part  and  Philip  Philipse  of  the  Second 
part — Whereas  the  said  Susannah  Robinson  Mary  Philipse  and 
Philip  Philipse  are  and  Stand  seized  in  Fee  Simple  in  Common 
of  all  that  certain  Tract  or  parcel  of  Land  granted  unto  Adolph 
Philipse  then  of  the  City  of  New  York  Merchant  by  his  late 
Majesty  King  William  the  third  by  Letters  Patent  under  the 
Great  Seal  of  the  Province  of  New  York  bearing  date  the 
Seventeenth  day  of  June  in  the  Year  of  Our  Lord  one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  ninety-seven,  in  Dutchess  County  Scituate 
lying  and  being  in  the  High  Lands  on  ttie  East  side  of  Hudson 
River  beginning  at  a  certain  red  Cedar  Tree  marked  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Hill  commonly  Called  Anthony's  Nose,  which  is 
likewise  the  North  Bounds  of  Collo  Stephanus  Van  Courtlandts 
land  on  his  Mannor  of  Courtland  and  from  thence  bounded  by 
the  said  Hudson  River  as  the  said  River  runs  Northerly  until 
it  comes  to  the  Creek  or  run  of  water  called  and  known  by 
the  name  of  the  Great  Fish  Kill  to  the  northward  and  above  the 
said  highlands  which  is  likewise  the  south-ward  Bounds  of 
another  Tract  of  Land  belonging  to  the  said  Collo  Stephanus 
Courtland  and  Company  and  so  easterly  along  the  said  Court- 
landts Line  and  the  South  bounds  of  Collo  Henry  Beekman 
until  it  comes  twenty  miles  or  unto  the  Division  or  partition 
line  between  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  said  Province 
4 


50  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  Easterly  by  the  said  Division  line  and  bounded  northerly 
and  southerly  by  east  and  west  lines  unto  the  said  Division  line 
Between  the  said  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  province 
aforesaid  the  whole  being  bounded  westward  by  the  same  Hud- 
son River  Northward  by  the  land  of  CoUo  Courtlandt  and  Com- 
pany and  the  land  of  Collo  Beekman,  eastward  by  the  partition 
line  between  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  Province  of 
New  York  and  southerly  by  the  Mannor  of  Courtlandt  to  the 
laad  of  the  said  Collo  Courtlandt  including  therein  a  certain 
Island  at  the  North  side  of  the  said  Highlands  called  pollepels 
Island  with  the  Hereditaments  and  Appurtenances  thereunto 
belonging  as  by  the  said  Letters  Patent  Relation  being  there- 
unto had  may  more  fully  and  at  Large  Appear.  And  Whereas 
the  said  parties  to  these  presents  have  by  Jonathan  Hampton 
their  surveyor  divided  the  greatest  part  of  the  said  Tract  or 
parcel  of  Land  and  distinguished  the  same  by  Lotts  made  and 
described  Signed  and  delivered  to  the  said  Parties  by  the  said 
Johnathan  Hampton  and  left  in  the  hands  of  Beverly  Robinson 
Party  hereto  for  the  use  of  himself  and  the  other  parties  to 
these  presents  their  Heirs  and  Assigns  when  reasonably  there- 
unto required  by  any  of  the  other  parties  their  heirs  or  Assigns 
and  in  order  to  an  equal  Division  of  the  same  have  according  to 
divers  Assortments  made  by  the  said  Johnathan  Hampton 
drawn  their  several  Lotts  whereupon  the  Lots  Number  Two 
.Number  Six  and  Number  Eight  (Except  two  thirds  of  the 
Meadow  in  the  said  Lot  Number  Two  hereinafter  described) 
protracted  and  laid  down  in  the  said  Map  do  now  belong  to  the 
Lott  and  share  of  the  said  Philip  Philipse  and  are  butted  and 
bounded  as  follows,  to  wit  Lott  Number  Two  beginning  at  a 
pine  Tree  standing  on  the  East  Side  of  Hudsons  River  Markt 
P.  R.  and  a  heap  of  stones  twenty-two  chains  below  a  noted 
Rock  called  the  Old  Wife  lying  in  the  Mouth  of  a  Brook,  which 
is  the  North  west  corner  of  Lott  Number  one  then  South  sixty 
five  degrees  East  eighty  three  Chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  on  the 
Top  of  a  hill  then  North  Seventy  three  degrees  East  one  hun 
dred  and  seventy  four  chains  to  a  Chestnut  tree  marked  P  R 
1753  on  the  west  side  standing  in  the  line  of  Lott  Number  Four 
on  the  East  Side  of  a  steep  Rocky  Mountain,  and  in  the  North 
east  Corner  of  Lott  Number  One,  from  thence  North  Ten  de- 
grees east  along  the  Line  of  said  Lott  number  four,  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  Chains  to  a  heap  of  Stones  and  a  Walnut 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  51 

bush  markt  P.  R.  1753  on  a  mountain  being  the  Southeast  cor- 
ner of  Lott  number  three,  then  South  seventy  seven  degrees. 
West  three  hundred  and  eighty- six  chains  along  the  Line  of  Lott 
number  Three  to  Hudsons  River  where  stands  two  Hemlock 
bushes  markt  P.  R.  in  a  Gully  between  Bull  Hill  and  Breakneck 
Hill  then  down  the  several  courses  of  Hudsons  River  (Including 
Martler's  Rock)  to  the  place  where  it  first  began  containing 
Eleven  thoiisand  six  hundred  and  Forty  four  Acres.  Lott  Num- 
ber Six  beginning  at  a  heap  of  stones  at  the  Southeast  corner 
of  Lott  Number  Five  in  the  line  of  the  Mannor  of  Courtlandt 
then  North  Ten  Degrees  East  Nine  hundred  and  sixty  chains  to 
a  heap  of  stones  at  the  Northeast  Corner  of  said  Lott  Number 
Five,  then  North  eighty  seven  Degrees  east  Two  hundred  and 
Thirty  nine  Chains  to  a  heap  of  Stones  and  White  Oak  Tree 
markt  P  R  1753  on  the  West  side  of  a  Mountain  twenty  Chains 
east  from  John  Campbells  House,  which  is  the  North  West  corner 
of  Lott  Number  Seven,  then  South  Ten  Degrees  West  nine  hun- 
dred and  seventy  three  Chains  to  a  Hemlock  Tree  markt  P.  R. 
1753  on  the  South  side  of  the  East  Branch  of  Crotens  River  and 
a  heap  of  stones  on  the  north  side  of  said  Branch  in  the  line  of  the 
Mannor  of  Courtlandt  at  the  Soxithwest  corner  of  Lott  Number 
nine  then  West  along  the  Line  of  the  Mannor  of  Courtlandt  two 
hundred  and  thirty  six  Chains  to  the  beginning,  containing  about 
twenty  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty  three  Acrees.  Lott 
number  eigfM  beginning  at  a  heap  of  Stones  in  a  Cleared  Field 
in  the  line  of  Lott  number  Six  being  the  Southwest  corner  of 
Lott  number  Seven  then  running  east  three  hundred  and  thirty 
four  chains  to  a  large  Rock  and  heap  of  Stones  standing  in  the 
Road  two  Chains  South  from  Nathan  Burchams  House  in  the 
Oblong  line,  then  Southerly  along  the  Oblong  line  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  chains  to  a  Chestnut  Bush  markt  P.  R.  1753, 
being  the  Northeast  Corner  of  Lott  Number  nine  then  West 
three  hundred  and  thirty-seven  Chains  to  a  heap  of  Stones  and 
Walnut  Tree  markt  P.  R.  1753  standing  on  the  South  Side  of  a 
Hill  near  the  Old  Meeting  House  in  the  line  of  Lott  number  six, 
from  thence  North  Ten  Degrees  East  three  hundred  and  twenty 
chains  along  the  line  of  said  Lott  number  Six  to  the  beginning, 
containing  about  ten  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty  five  acres. 
Now  This  Indenture  Witnesseth  that  the  parties  aforesaid  of 
the  first  part  for  and  in  Consideration  of  Mutual  Grants  and  Re- 
leases from  the  said  Philip  Philipse  to  them  the  said  Susannah 


52  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Kobinson  and  Mary  Philipse  and  to  their  Representative  Heirs 
and  Assigns  of  Divers  other  Lotts  and  Parcels  of  Lands  in  and 
by  the  said  recited  Letters  so  as  aforesaid  Granted  and  also  for 
and  in  Consideration  of  the  sum  of  ten  shillings  to  them  in-hand 
paid  by  the  said  Philip  Philipse  the  receit  whereof  they  do  here- 
by acknowledge  and  thereof  and  therefrom  do  acquit  and  dis- 
charge the  said  Philip  Philipse  his  Executors  and  Administra- 
tors have  granted  bargained  sold  aliened  conveyed  Released  and 
Confirmed  and  by  these  presents  do  Grant  Bargain  Sell  aliene 
Convey  Release  and  Confirm  unto  the  said  Philip  Philipse  his 
heirs  and  assigns  all  and  Singular  those  Lotts  and  parcels  of 
Land  before  mentioned  to  belong  to  him  the  said  Philip  Philipse 
as  they  are  above  and  in  the  said  Map  described  and  all  and  Sin- 
gular the  Hereditaments  and  Appurtnances  thereunto  belonging 
or  in  any  wise  appertaining  (Excepting  and  Reserving  out  of 
the  said  Lott  number  two,  two- thirds  of  the  Meadow  Land  one 
of  which  two  thirds  doth  belong  to  the  Lott  and  share  of  the 
said  Susannah  Robinson  and  is  butted  and  bounded  as  follows 
to  witt  beginning  Ten  chains  north  thirty  nine  Degrees  East  from 
a  Large  Pine  Tree  standing  on  a  Rooky  Point  on  the  South  east 
side  of  the  Meadow  Markt  P.  R.  1753  on  the  West  side  and  from 
thence  running  North  West  across  Crooked  Creek  to  the  upland 
upon  Martlers  Rock  then  running  southerly  along  the  Edge  of 
the  Upland  to  Hudsons  River  then  easterly  along  Hudsons 
River  until  the  beginning  bears  North  thirty  nine  Degrees  East 
then  to  the  beginning  place  containing  Seventy  two  Acres  and 
the  other  of  which  doth  belong  to  the  Lott  and  share  of  the  said 
Mary  Philipse  and  butted  and  bounded  as  follows  to  witt  begin- 
ning five  chains  from  the  upland  upon  Danfords  Creek  five 
chains  also  from  the  upland  down  Crooked  Creek  to  the  meadow 
belonging  to  Lott  number  one  then  North  west  to  Martlers  Rock 
then  along  the  upland  the  North  side  of  a  little  Island  in  the 
Meadow  to  the  Mouth  of  Danfords  Creek  then  up  the  said 
Creek  to  the  beginning  containing  Eighty  two  acres)  together 
with  all  the  Woods  Underwoods  Trees  Timber  Feedings  pastures 
Meadows  Marshes  Swamps  jjonds  Water  Courses  Rivers  Rivu- 
lets Runs  and  Streams  of  Water  Fishing  fowling  Hunting  Hawk- 
ing (Excepting  and  Reserving  all  Mines  and  Minerals  whatso- 
ever) standing  growing  lying  being  or  found  or  to  be  used  had 
and  enjoyed  within  the  Bounds  and  Limitts  of  the  respective 
Lotts  and  parcels  of  Land  above  described  and  mentioned  to  be 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  53 

the  Share  of  and  belonging  to  the  said  Philip  Philipse  (except 
and  Reserving  as  before  is  Excepted  and  reserved)  and  all  other 
profitts  Benefits  privileges  Liberties  Advantages  Hereditaments 
and  Appurtenances  whatsoever  unto  the  said  Lotts  or  parcels 
of  Land  Rights  and  Premises  and  each  and  every  of  them  be- 
longing or  in  anyv^ise  appertaining  as  fully  and  eflfectually  to  all 
interests  and  purposes  As  by  the  said  Recited  Letters  Patent  to 
the  said  Adolph  Philipse  the  same  are  granted  and  Conveyed. 
To  have  and  hold  the  said  several  Lotts  or  parcels  of  Land  Right 
and  Premises  with  their  and  every  of  their  Appurtenances  (Ex- 
cept as  before  is  Excepted)  to  the  said  Philip  Philipse  his  heirs 
and  Assigns  to  the  only  proper  use  benefit  and  behoof  of  him 
the  said  Philip  Philipse  his  heirs  and  Assigns  forever  Yielding 
and  paying  therefor  Yearly  and  every  year  his  proportionable 
part  of  the  Quit  rents  in  and  by  the  said  Letters  Patent  re- 
served at  such  time  and  place  as  by  the  said  Letters  Patent  is 
directed  and  appointed  And  he  the  said  Philip  Philipse  for  him- 
self his  heirs  Executors  Administrators  and  Assigns  doth  Cove- 
nant Grant  promise  and  agree  to  and  with  the  said  parties  of 
the  first  part  and  every  of  them  and  every  of  their  Executors 
Administrators  and  Assigns  that  he  the  said  Philip  Philipse  his 
heirs  Executors  administrators  or  assigns  shall  and  Yearly  and 
every  Year  forever  hereafter  well  and  truly  yield  render  and  pay 
or  cause  to  be  yielded  rendered  and  paid  unto  his  Majesty  his 
heirs  and  successors  at  the  City  of  New  York  on  the  Annuncia- 
tion of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  the  full  and  equal  third  part  of 
the  Quit  Rent  in  and  by  the  said  Letters  Patent  reserved  and 
made  payable  that  is  to  say  the  Yearly  Rent  of  Six  Shillings 
and  Eight  pence  according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  here- 
of. And  further  that  he  the  said  Philip  Philipse  shall  and  will 
from  time  to  time  and  at  all  times  forever  hereafter  well  and  suf- 
ficiently save  harmless  and  keep  indemnified  them  the  said 
parties  of  the  first  part  and  each  and  every  of  them  their  and 
each  and  every  of  their  Goods  and  Chattels  Lands  and  Tene- 
ments of  from  and  against  all  costs  charges  and  damages  which 
may  accrue  or  which  they  or  either  of  them  their  or  either  of 
their  Executors  or  administrators  shall  or  may  happen  to  sus- 
tain by  Reason  or  means  of  his  the  said  Philip  Philipse  not 
paying  the  said  one  third  part  of  the  said  yearly  Quit  rent  as 
aforesaid  according  to  his  Covenant  and  Undertaking  aforesaid 
and  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  these  Presents.     And  the 


54  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

said  Mary  Philipse  for  herself  her  heirs  Executors  and  Admin- 
istrators and  the  said  Beverly  Robinson  for  himself  his  heirs 
executors  Administrators  and  for  the  said  Susannah  his  wife  do 
Severally  and  Respectively  promise  Covenant  and  agree  to  and 
with  the  said  Philip  Philipse  his  heirs  and  assigns  that  they 
severally  have  not  done  any  Act  Matter  or  thing  whereby  the 
premises  hereby  Granted  or  Released  or  any  part  thereof  are  or 
may  be  any  ways  impeached  Charged  or  incumbered  in  Title 
estate  or  otherwise. 

"  In  Witness  whereof  the  said  Parties  to  these  Presents  have 
hereunto  interchangeably  set  their  hands  and  Seals  the  Day 
and  Year  first  above  written. 

"  Philip  Philipse.  (L.  S.) 

"  Bev.  Robinson.  (L.  S.) 

"  Susannah  Robinson.  (L.  S.) 
"  Maby  Philipse.  (L.  S.) 

"  Witnesses. 

"  William  Livingston. 

"  Ebenezer  Bryant." 

partition  deed  to  mary  philipse. 

"This  Indenture  made  the  seventh  day  of  February  in  the 
.  Twenty  seventh  year  of  the  reign  of  our  sovereign  Lord  Greorge 
the  Second  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  Great  Britain  France  and 
Ireland  King  Defender  of  the  faith  &c  Annoq  Domini  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  four  Between  Philip  Philipse 
and  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah  his  wife  of  the  first  part 
and  Mary  Philipse  of  the  second  Part  Whereas  the  said  Philip 
Philipse  Susannah  Robinson  and  Mary  Philipse  are  and  stand 
seized  in  ffee  simple  in  common  of  all  that  certain  tract  or  par- 
cel of  land  granted  unto  Adolph  Philipse  then  of  the  City  of 
New  York  Merchant  by  his  late  Majesty  King  William  the 
third  by  his  Letters  patent  under  the  Great  Seal  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  New  York  bearing  date  the  seventeenth  day  of  June  in 
the  Year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety 
seven,  in  Dutchess  County  situate  lying  and  being  in  the  high- 
lands on  the  east  side  of  Hudsons  River,  beginning  at  a  cer- 
tain red  cedar  Tree  Marked  on  the  north  side  of  the  Hill  com- 
monly called  Anthonys  Nose  which  is  likewise  the  North 
Bounds  of  Collo  Stephanus  Van  Courtlandts  Land  on  his  Man- 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  55 

nor  of  Courtlandt  and  f rom  thence  bounded  by  the  said  Hadsons 
River  as  the  said  River  runs  northerly  until  it  comes  to  the 
Creek  River  or  Run  of  Water  called  and  known  by  the  name 
of  the  great  Fish  Kill  to  the  Northward  and  above  the  said 
highlands  vs^hich  is  likewise  the  Southward  Bounds  of  another 
Tract  of  Land  belonging  to  the  said  Collo  Stephanus  Courtlandt 
and  Company,  and  so  Easterly  along  the  said  Courtlandts  line 
and  the  south  bounds  of  Collo  Henry  Beekman  until  it  comes 
twenty  Miles  or  unto  the  Division  or  partition  Line  between 
the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  said  Province,  and  Easterly 
by  the  said  Division  Line,  and  being  bounded  northerly  and 
southerly  by  East  and  West  Lines  unto  the  said  Division  Lines 
between  the  said  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  Province  afore- 
said, the  whole  being  bounded  Westward  by  the  said  Hudsons 
River,  Northward  by  the  land  of  Collo  Courtlandt  and  Com- 
pany and  the  land  of  Collo  Beekman,  eastward  by  the  partition 
line  between  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  Province  of  New 
York,  and  Southerly  the  Mannor  of  Courtlandt  to  tlie  land  of 
the  said  Collo  Courtland,  including  therein  a  certain  Island  at 
the  north  side  of  the  High  Lands  called  Polepels  Island,  vvrith 
the  Hereditaments  and  Appurtenances  thereunto  belonging  as 
by  the  said  Letters  Patent  relation  being  thereunto  had  may 
more  fully  and  at  large  appear. 

"  And  Whereas  the  said  Parties  to  these  Presents  have  by 
Jonathan  Hampton  their  Surveyor  divided  the  greatest  part  uf 
the  said  Tract  or  parcell  of  land  and  distinguished  the  same  by 
Lotts  made  and  Described,  signed  and  delivered  to  the  said 
parties  by  said  Jonathan  Hampton  and  left  in  the  hands  of 
Beverly  Robinson  party  hereto  for  the  use  of  himself  and  the 
other  parties  to  these  Presents  their  Heirs  and  Assigns  when 
reasonably  thereunto  required  by  any  of  the  other  parties,  their 
heirs  or  assigns  and  in  order  to  an  equal  Division  of  the  same 
have  .according  to  divers  assortments  made  by  the  said  Jona- 
than Hampton  drawn  their  several  Lotts.  Whereupon  the  Lotts 
numbered  Three,  number  Five  Number  Nine  and  one  third  part 
of  the  Meadow  Land  Lying  in  Lott  Number  Two  pretracted 
and  lay'd  down  in  the  said  Map  do  now  belong  to  the  Lotts  and 
share  of  the  said  Mary  Philipse  and  are  butted  and  bounded  to 
Witt,  Lott  number  Three  beginning  at  Two  Hemlock  Bushes 
standing  in  a  gixlly  between  Bull  and  Breakneck  Hills  on  the 
.East  side  of  Hudsons  River,  and  from  thence  running  North 


56  HISTOEY   OP   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

seventy  seven  degrees  East  three  hundred  and  eighty  six  chains 
to  a  heap  of  stones  and  walnut  bush  Markt  P.  R.  1753  standing 
in  the  West  Line  of  Lott  number  four  and  is  also  the  northeast 
corner  of  Lott  number  Two,  then  North  ten  Degrees  East  two 
hundred  and  twenty  eight  chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  thirty 
links  north  of  a  white  oak  tree  Marked  P  1753  being  the  North 
West  corner  of  Lott  Number  four,  then   South  eighty  seven 
Degrees  West  four  hundred  and  eight  chains  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Fish  Kill  from  thence  down  the  Several  Courses  of  Hud- 
sons  Eiver  to    the  beginning,  including  Pollaples  Island,  con- 
taining about  eight  thousand  six  hundred  acres.    Lott  number 
five  beginning  at  a  heap  of  Stones  in  the  line  of   the  Mannor  of 
Courtlandt  at  the  Southeast  corner  of  Lott  number  four,  then 
North  ten  degrees  East  nine  hundred  and  forty  seven  Chains  to 
a  heap  of  Stones  at  the  North  East  Corner  of  Lott  number  four, 
Then  North  eighty  seven  Degrees  East  three  hundred  and  forty 
four  chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  which  is  the  North  West  corner 
of  Lott  number  Six  Then  South  Ten  Degrees  West  along  the 
Line  of  Lott  Number  Six  nine  hundred  and  Sixty  Chains  to  a 
heap  of  Stones  in  the  line  of  the  Mannor  Courtlandt  at  the 
South  West  corner  of  Lott  number   Six,  Then  West  along  the 
line  of  the  Mannor  of  Courtlandt  Three  hundred  and  forty 
Chains  to  the  beginning,  containing  about  thirty  one  thousand 
two  hundred  acres.     Lott  number  nine  beginning  at  a  Hemlock 
Tree  standing  on  the  south  side  of  the  East  Branch  of  Croton 
River  and  a  heap  of  stones  on  the  North  side  which  is  also  the 
South  east  corner  of  Lott  Number  six  in  the  line  of   the  Man- 
nor Courtlandt,  from  thence  running  North  Ten  Degrees  East 
three  hundred  and  Thirty  three  Chains  to  a  heap  of   stones  and 
Walnut  Tree  Marked  P.  R.  1753  on  the  south  side  of  a  Hill 
near  an  Old  Meeting  House  in  the  line  of   Lott  number   Six 
being  the  South  West  corner  of  Lott  number  Eight,  then  East 
Along  the  Line  of  Lott  number  eight  three  hundred  and  Thirty 
Seven  Chains  to  a  Chestnut  Bush  Markt  F.  R.   1753   Standing 
in  the  Oblong  line  on  the  West  Side  of  a   Rocky  Hill  which  is 
the  Southeast  Corner  of  Lott  Number  eight,  then  southerly  as 
the  Oblong  line  runs  Three  hundred  and  thirty  three  chains  to 
the  North  East  Corner  of   the  Mannor  of  Courtlandt  in  Peach 
Pond,  then  West  along  the  said  Mannor  of  Courtlandt  Three 
hundred  and  thirty  six  chains  to  the  beginning.  Containing 
about  eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres.     And 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  57 

one  third  part  of  the  meadow  Land  lying  in  Lott  Number  Two, 
Beginning  Two  chains  from  the  upland  upon  Danfords  Creek 
and  running  to  Crooked  Creek  five  Chains  from  the  upland  then 
down  Crooked  Creek  to  the  Meadow  belonging  to  Lott  Number 
one  then  North  West  to  Martlers  Rock,  then  along  the  upland 
the  North  side  of  a  little  Island  in  the  Meadow  to  the  Mouth  of 
Danfords  Creek,  then  up  the  said  Creek  to  the  beginning,  con- 
taining about  eighty  two  acres.  Now  this  Indenture  Witness- 
eth  that  the  parties  aforesaid  of  the  first  part  for  and  in  con- 
sideration of  mutual  Grants  and  Releases  from  the  said  Mary 
Ph  ilipse  to  them  the  said  Philip  Philipse  and  Susannah  Rob- 
inson and  to  their  respective  Heirs  and  Assigns  of  Divers  other 
Lotts  and  parcels  of  land  in  and  by  the  said  recited  Letters 
Patent  so  as  aforesaid  Granted  and  also  for  and  in  Consideration 
of  the  sum  of  Ten  Shillings  to  them  in  hand  paid  by  the  said 
Mary  Philipse  the  receit  whereof  they  do  hereby  acknowledge 
and  thereof  and  therefrom  do  acquit  and  discharge  the  said 
Mary  Philipse  her  Executors  and  Administrators  Have  Granted 
Bargained  Sold  aliened  Conveyed  released  and  Confirmed  and 
by  these  Presents  do  Grant  bargain  Sell  Alien  convey  Release 
and  confirm  unto  the  said  Mary  Philipse  her  heirs  and  Assigns 
all  and  singular  those  Lotts  and  Parcels  of  Land  before  men- 
tioned to  belong  to  her  the  said  Mary  Philipse  as  they  are 
above  and  in  the  said  Map  described  and  all  and  Singular  the 
Hereditaments  and  Appurtenances  thereunto  belonging  or  in 
anywise  appertaining  with  all  woods  underwoods  Trees  Timber 
Feedings  Pastures  Meadows  Marshes  Swamps  Ponds  Pools 
Water  Water  Courses  Rivers  Rivulets  Runs  and  Streams  of 
Water  Fishing  Fowling  Hunting  Hawking  (Excepting  and  re- 
serving all  Mines  and  Minerals  Whatsoever)  standing  Growing 
lying  being  or  found  or  to  be  used  had  or  enjoyed  within  the 
Bounds  and  Limits  of  the  Respective  Lotts  and  parcells  of  Land 
above  described  and  mentioned  to  be  the  share  of  and  to  belong 
to  the  said  Mary  Philipse  and  all  other  profits  benefits  privi- 
leges Libertys  advantages  Hereditaments  and  Appurtenances 
whatsoever  unto  the  said  Lotts  or  parcells  of  Land  rights  and 
premises  and  each  and  every  of  them  belonging  or  in  anywise 
Appertaining  as  fully  and  Effectually  to  all  intents,  and  purposes 
as  by  the  said  Letters  Patent  to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  the 
same  are  Granted  and  conveyed  To  have  and  to  hold  the  said 
several  Lotts  or  parcells  of  Land  rights  and  premises  with  their 


58  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  every  of  their  Appurtenances  Except  as  before  is  Excepted 
to  the  said  Mary  Philipse  her  heirs  and  Assigns  to  the  only 
proper  use  benefit  and  Behoof  of  her  the  said  Mary  Philipse 
her  heirs  and  Assigns  forever  Yielding  and  paying  therefore 
yearly  and  every  year  her  proportionable  part  of  the  Quit  Rents 
in  and  by  the  said  Letters  Patents  reserved  at  such  time  and 
place  as  by  the  said  Letters  Patent  is  directed  and  appointed 
And  she  the  said  Mary  Philipse  for  herself  her  heirs  Executors 
Administrators  and  Assigns  doth  Covenant  Grant  promise  and 
agree  to  and  with  the  said  parties  of  the  first  part  and  every  of 
them  and  every  of  their  heirs  Executors  Administrators  and 
Assigns  that  she  the  said  Mary  Philipse  her  heirs  Executors 
Administrators  or  Assigns  shall  and  Will  Yearly  and  every 
year  forever  hereafter  w^ell  and  truely  yield  render  and  pay  or 
cause  to  be  Yielded  rendered  and  paid  unto  his  Majesty  his 
Heirs  and, Successors  at  the  City  of  New  York  on  the  Feast  day 
of  the  Annunciation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  the  full  and 
equal  third  part  of  the  Quit  Rent  in  and  by  the  said  Letters  Pat- 
ent reserved  and  made  Payable,  that  is  to  say  the  yearly  Rent 
of  six  shillings  and  eight  pence  according  to  the  true  intent  and 
meaning  hereof,  and  further  that  she  the  said  Mary  Philipse 
shall  and  Will  from  time  to  time  and  at  all  times  Forever  here- 
after Well  and  sufficiently  save  harmless  and  keep  indempni- 
fied  them  the  said  Parties  of  the  first  Part  and  Each  and  every 
of  them  their  and  each  and  every  of  their  goods  and  Chattels 
Lands  and  Tenements  of  from  and  against  all  costs  Charges  and 
Damages  which  may  accrue  or  which  they  or  either  of  them 
their  or  either  of  their  Executors  or  Administrators  shall  or 
may  happen  to  sustain  by  reason  or  means  of  her  the  said  Mary 
Philipse  not  paying  the  said  one  third  part  of  the  said  yearly 
Quit  rent  as  aforesaid  according  to  her  Covenant  and  Under- 
taking aforesaid  and  according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning 
of  these  Presents.  And  tlie  said  Philip  Philipse  for  himself 
his  heirs  Executors  and  Administrators  and  the  said  Beverly 
Robinson  for  himself  his  heirs  Executors  and  Administrators 
and  for  the  said  Susannah  his  Wife  do  Severally  and  respec- 
tively Promise  Covenant  and  Agree  to  and  with  the  said  Mary 
Philipse  her  heirs  and  Assigns  that  they  severally  have  not  done 
any  Act  Matter  or  thing  whereby  the  Premise:s  hereby  Granted 
or  Released  or  any  part  thereof  are  or  may  be  anyways  im- 
peached charged  or  incumbered  in  Title  Estate  oi^  otherwise. 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  69 

"  In  Witness  whereof  the  said  Parties  to  these  Presents  have 
hereunto  Interchangeably  set  their  hands  and  Seals  the  day  and 
year  first  above  written. 

"  Philip  Philipse.         (L.  S.) 
"  Bev.  Robinson.  (L.  S.) 

"  Susannah  Robinson.  (L.  S.) 
"  Mary  Philipse.  (L.  S.)" 

partition  deed. 

"  Mary  Philipse  and  Philip  Philipse  to  Beverly  Robinson  and 
Susannah  Robinson. 

"This  Indenture,  made  the  seventh  day  of  February,  in  the 
twenty-seventh  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  George 
the  Second,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britian  and  Ireland 
and  France  King,  defender  of  the  faith,  etc.,  Annoque.  Domini 
1754,  between  Philip  Philipse  and  Mary  Philipse  of  the  first 
part,  and  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah,  Ms  wife  of  the 
second  part.  Whereas  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  Susannah 
Robinson  and  Mary  Philipse  are  and  stand  seized  in  fee  simple 
in  common,  of  all  that  certain  tract  or  parcel  of  land  granted 
unto  Adolph  Philipse,  then  of  the  City  of  New  York,  mer- 
chant, by  his  late  Majesty,  King  William  the  Third,  by  his 
letters  patent  under  the  great  seal  of  the  Province  of  New 
York,  bearing  date  the  seventeenth  day  of  June,  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord,  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-seven,  in 
Dutchess  County,  scituate,  lying  and  being  in  the  highlands  on 
the  east  side  of  Hudson  River,  beginning  at  a  certain  red  cedar 
tree  marked  on  the  east  side  of  the  hill,  commonly  called  An- 
thony's Nose,  which  is  likewise  the  north  bounds  of  Coll. 
Stephen  Van  Courtlandt's  land  or  his  manor  of  Courtlandt  and 
thence  bounded  by  the  said  Hudson's  River,  as  the  said  river 
runs  northerly  until  it  comes  to  the  Creek,  river,  or  run  of  water 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of  the  Great  Fishkill  river,  to 
the  northward  and  above  the  high  lands  which  is  likewise  the 
southward  bounds  of  another  tract  of  land  belonging  to  the 
said  Coll.  Stephanus  Courtlandt  and  Company,  and  so  easterly 
along  the  said  Courtlandt  line  and  the  south  jbounds  of  another 
tract  of  land  belonging  to  the  said  Coll.  Stephanus  Courtlandt 
and  Company,  and  so  easterly  along  the  said  Courtlandt  line 
and  the  south  bounds  of  Col.  Henry  Beekman,  until  it  comes 
twenty  miles  or  unto  the  division  or  partition  line  between  the 


60  HISTORY   0¥   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  said  Province,  and  easterly  by 
the  said  division  line,  and  being  t)ounded  northerly  and  south- 
erly by  east  and  west  lines,  unto  the  said  division  line  between 
the  said  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  Province  of  New  York 
aforesaid,  the  whole  being  bounded  westward  by  the  same 
Hudson's  river,  northward  by  the  land  of  Coll.  Cortlandt  and 
Company  and  the  land  of  Coll.  Beekman,  eastward  by  the 
partition  line  between  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  Prov- 
ince of  New  York,  and  southerly  by  the  manor  of  Cortlandt, 
to  the  land  of  the  said  Coll.  Cortlandt,  including  therein  a 
certain  island  at  the  north  side  of  the  said  high  land  called 
Pollepels  Island,  with  the  hereditaments  and  appurtenances 
thereunto  belonging  as  by  said  letters  patent  relation  being 
thereunto  had,  may  more  fully  and  at  large  appear. 

' '  And  whereas  the  said  parties  to  these  presents  have,  by 
Jonathan  Hampton,  their  surveyor,  divided  the  greatest  part  of 
the  said  tract  or  parcel  of  land,  and  distinguished  them  by  lots 
made  and  described,  signed  and  delivered  to  the  said  parties  by 
the  said  Jonathan  Hampton,  and  left  in  the  hands  of  Beverly 
Robinson,  party  hereto,  for  the  use  of  himself  and  other  par- 
ties hereto,  their  heirs  and  assigns,  when  reasonably  thereunto 
required  by  any  of  the  other  parties,  their  heirs  and  assigns, 
and  in  order  to  an  equal  division  of  the  same  have,  according 
to  divers  assortments  made  by  the  said  Jonathan  Hampton 
drawn  their  several  lotts  thereupon  the  lotts  number  one,  num- 
ber four  and  number  seven,  and  one  third  part  of  the  meadow 
land  lying  in  lott  number  two  protracted  and  laid  down  in  the 
said  map  do  now  belong  to  the  lott  and  share  of  the  said 
Susannah  Kobinson,  and  are  butted  and  bounded  as  follows,  to 
wit:  lot  number  one,  beginning  on  the  east  side  of  Hudson's 
river  at  the  north  side  of  Anthony's  Nose,  at  the  corner  of  the 
Manor  of  Courtlandt,  and  running  east  along  the  line  of  the 
said  Manor  three  hundred  and  sixty  chains  to  a  white  oak  tree 
marked  with  P.  1753,  on  the  north  side,  then  north  ten  degrees, 
east  three  hundred  and  forty  chains  to  a  chestnut  tree  marked 
P.  R.,  1753,  on  the  west  side,  standing  on  the  east  side  of  a 
steep,  rocky  mountain  (which  is  the  southeast  corner  of  lott 
number  two)  then  south  seventy-five  degrees,  west  one  hundred 
seventy-four  chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  on  a  high  hill,  then 
north  sixty-five  degrees,  west  eighty- three  chains  to  a  pine  tree 
standing  by  said  Hudson's  river,   marked  P.  R.,  by  a  heap  of 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  61 

Stones  twenty  two  chains  below  a  rock  called  and  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Old  Wife,  lying  in  the  mouth  of  a  brook,  then 
down  the  several  courses  of  Hudson's  river  to  the  place  where 
it  first  began,  containing  nine  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
eighty-four  acres.  Lot  number  four,  beginning  at  the  aforesaid 
white  oak  tree  marked  P.  1753,  standing  on  the  line  of  Manor 
of  Courtlandt  three  hundred  and  sixty  chains,  east  from  Hud- 
son's river  at  the  beginning  of  lott  number  one  on  the  north 
side  of  Anthony's  Nose,  and  which  is  also  the  southeast  corner 
of  said  lot  number  one,  and  from  thence  running  north  ten 
degrees,  east  nine  hundred  and  twenty-five  chains  to  a  heap  of 
stones  thirty  links  north  from  a  white  oak  tree  marked  P.  1753, 
on  the  south  side,  which  is  the  northeast  corner  of  lot  number 
three  and  is  four  hundred  and  eight  chains  (on  a  north  eighty- 
seven  degrees  east  course)  from  the  mouth  of  the  Fishkill, 
thence  north  eighty-seven  degrees,  east  four  hundred  and  three 
chains  to  a  monument  made  with  a  heap  of  stones,  which  is  the 
northwest  corner  of  lott  number  five,  thence  south  ten  degrees, 
west  nine  hundred  and  forty-seven  chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  in 
the  line  of  the  Manor  of  Courtlandt  which  is  also  the  southwest 
corner  of  lot  number  five,  then  west  along  the  line  of  said 
Manor,  four  hundred  chains  to  the  beginning,  containing  thirty- 
seven  thousand  acres.  Lott  number  seven,  beginning  at  a  white 
oak  tree  marked  P.  R.  1753,  and  a  heap  of  stones  on  the  west 
side  of  a  hill  twenty  chains  east  from  John  Campbell's,  being 
the  northeast  of  lot  number  six,  then  running  north  eighty- 
seven  degrees,  east  three  hundred  and  thirty-six  chains  to  a 
heap  of  stones  in  the  oblong  line  in  a  road  near  Justice  Havi- 
land's,  thence  southerly  along  the  oblong  line  three  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  chains  to  a  large  rock  and  heap  of  stones 
standing  in  the  road  about  two  chains  south  from  Nathan  Bur- 
cham's  house,  then  west  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  chains 
to  a  heap  of  stones  standing  in  a  cleared  field  in  the  line  of  lott 
number  six,  then  along  the  said  line  of  lott  number  six,  north 
ten  degrees,  east  three  hundred  and  twenty  chains  to  the  begin- 
ning, containing  ten  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-two 
acres,  and  one-third  part  of  the  meadow  land  lying  in  lot  num- 
ber two,  beginning  ten  chains  north,  thirty- nine  degrees  east 
from  a  large  pine  tree  (standing  on  a  rocky  point  on  the  south- 
east side  of  the  meadow)  marked  P.  R.  1758,  on  the  west  side 
and  from  thence  running  northwest  across  a  crooked  creek  to 


62  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

the  upland  upon  Martlers  Rock,  then  running  southerly  along 
the  edge  of  the  upland  to  Hudson's  river,  then  easterly  along 
Hudson's  river  until  the  beginning  bears  north    thirty-nine 
degrees  east,  then  to  the  beginning  place,   containing  seventy- 
tviro  acres;  now  this  Indenture  witnesseth  that  the  parties  afore- 
said of  the  first  part,  for  and  in  consideration  of  mutual  grants 
and  releases  from  the  said  parties  of  the  second,   to  them  the 
said  Philip  Philipse  and  Mary  Philipse,  and  to  their  respective 
heirs  and  assigns,  of  divers  other  lots  and  parcels  of  land  in 
and  by  the  said  recited  letters  patent  so  as  aforesaid  granted 
and  also  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  ten  shillings 
to    them  in  hand  paid  by  the  said   parties  of   the    second 
part,    the    receipt    whereof     they    do    hereby    acknowledge 
and    thereof    and    therefrom    do  acquit    and    discharge    the 
said    parties    of     the    second     part,     their     executors    and 
administrators,     have     granted,      bargained,      sold,     aliened, 
conveyed,    released,    and    confirmed    and    by   these    presents 
do    grant,  bargain,    sell,    alien,   convey,    release,    and  confirm 
unto    the    said    Susannah    Robinson,    her    heirs   and   assigns 
all  and  singular,  those  lots  and  parcels  of  land  above-mentioned 
to  belong  to  the  said  Susannah  Robinson  as  they  are  above  and 
in  the  said  map  described,  and  all  and  singular  the  heredita- 
ments and  appurtenances  thereunto  belonging  or  in  any  wise  ap- 
pertaining, together  with  all  and  singular  the  woods,  under- 
woods, trees,   timbers,  feedings,  pastures,   meadows,  marshes, 
swamps,  ponds,  pools,  waters,  watercourses,  rivers,  brooks,  riv- 
ulets, runs  and  streams  of  water,  fishing, fowling,  hunting,  hawk- 
ing (excepting  and  reserving  all  mines  and  minerals  whatsoever), 
standing,  growing,  lying,  being  or  found  or  to  be  used,  had  or 
enjoyed,  within  the  bounds  and  limits  of  the  respective  lotts  or 
parcels  of  land  above  described  and  mentioned  to  be  the  share 
of  and  to  belong  to  the  said  Susannah  Robinson,  and  all  other 
profitts,    benefits,    privileges,    liberties,    advantages,    heredita- 
ments and  appurtenances  whatsoever  unto  the  said  lots  or  par- 
cels of  land,  rights  and  premises,  and  each  and  every  of  them 
belonging  or  in  any  wise  appertaining  as  fully  and  effectually 
to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  by  the  said  recited  letters  patent 
to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse,  the  same  are  granted  and  conveyed, 
to  have  and  to  hold  the  said  several  lotts  and  parcels  of  land, 
rights  and  premises,  with  their  and  every  of  their  appurtenances 
(except  as  before  is  excepted)  unto  the  said  Susannah  Robinson, 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  63 

her  beirs  and  assigns  to  the  only  proper  use,  benefit  and  behoof 
of  her  the  said  Susannah  Robinson,  her  heirs  and  assigns  for- 
ever. Yielding  and  paying  therefore  yearly  and  every  year  her 
proportionate  part  of  the  quit  rents,  in  and  by  the  said  letters 
patent  reserved  at  such  time  and  place  as  by  the  said  letters 
patent  is  directed  and  appointed.  And  the  said  Beverly  Rob- 
inson, for  himself,  his  heirs,  executors,  administrators,  and  as- 
signs, and  for  the  said  Susannah,  his  vpife,  doth  covenant,  grant, 
promise  and  agree  to  and  with  the  said  parties  of  the  first  part, 
and  every  of  them,  and  every  of  their  heirs,  executors,  admin- 
strators  and  assigns,  that  she,  the  said  Susannah  Robinson,  her 
heirs,  executors,  administrators  or  assigns,  shall  and  will  yearly 
and  every  year  forever  hereafter,  well  and  truly  yield,  render 
and  pay  or  cause  or  procure  to  be  yielded,  rendered  and  jjaid 
unto  his  Majesty,  his  heirs,  and  successors,  at  the  City  of  New 
York  on  the  Feast  Day  of  the  Annunciation  of  the  blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  the  full  and  equal  third  part  of  the  quit  rent  in 
and  by  the  said  letters  patent,  reserved  and  made  payable,  that 
is  to  say,  the  yearly  rent  of  six  shillings  and  eight  pence,  ac- 
cording to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  hereof.  And  further 
that  the  said  Susannah  Robinson  shall  and  will  from  time  to 
time,  and  at  all  times  forever  hereafter  well  and  sufficiently  save 
harmless  and  keep  indempnified,  them,  the  said  parties  of  the 
first  part,  and  each  and  every  of  them,  their,  and  each  and 
every  of  their  goods,  and  chattels,  lands  and  tenements,  of  from 
and  against  all  costs,  charges  and  damages  which  may  accrue  or 
which  they  or  either  of  them,  their,  or  either  of  their  executors 
or  administrators  shall  or  may  happen  to  sustain  by  reason  or 
means  of  her  the  said  Susannah  Robinson,  not  paying  the  said 
one-third  part  of  the  said  yearly  quit  rent,  as  aforesaid,  accord- 
ing to  his,  the  said  Beverly  Robinson's  covenant  and  undertak- 
ing aforesaid,  and  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  these  pres- 
ents, and  the  said  parties  of  the  first  part,  for  themselves  sev- 
erally and  respectively,  and  for  their  several  and  respective  heirs, 
executors  and  administrators,  do  promise,  covenant  and  agree 
to  and  with  the  said  parties  of  the  second  part,  that  they  sever- 
ally have  not  done  any  act,  matter  or  thing  whereby  the  prem- 
ises hereby  granted  or  released,  or  anj^  part  thereof  are  or  may 
be  anyway  impeached,  charged  or  incumbered  in  title,  estate  or 
otherwise  howsoever.     In  witness  whereof,  the  parties  to  these 


64  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

presents  have  hereunto  interchangeably  set  their  hands  and 
seals,  the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

'•  Philip  Philipse.  (L.  S.) 

"  Bbv.  Robinson.  (L.  S.) 

"  Susannah  Robinson.  (L.  S.) 

"  Maky  Philipse.  (L.  S.)" 

The  foregoing  deeds  _are  all  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  secre- 
tary of  State,  in  Albany.  It  will  be  noticed  that  all  the  mines 
and  minerals  are  reserved  in  each  of  the  deeds,  and  consequently 
they  remained  undivided  property.  It  is  upon  this  reservation 
that  the  claim  of  the  present  representatives  of  the  Philipse 
family  to  one-third  of  the  minerals  in  the  county  is  based. 

On  the  20th  of  February  1754,  Susannah  Robinson  and  Bev^ 
erly  Robinson  executed  a  deed  conveying  to  William  Living- 
ston "  all  the  lands  set  apart  to  Susannah  Robinson  by  parti- 
tion deeds,  except  mines  and  minerals."  Two  days  later 
William  Livingston  conveyed  the  same  to  Beverly  Robinson, 
and  he  remained  the  owner  till  the  Revolution. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE   WAPPINGER   INDIANS  AND  THEIR   CONTROVERSY   WITH 
THE  HEIRS  OFADOLPH  PHILIPSE. 

WHEN  the  white  men  first  landed  on  American  soil,  they 
found  the  land  inhabited  by  a  race  whose  origin  is 
wrapped  in  utter  obscurity.  The  most  extended  researches  of 
the  antiquarian  and  philologist  have  failed  to  cast  any  certain 
light  upon  this  problem,  and  whence  came  the  red  man  is  as 
much  a  question  now,  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Columbus.  To 
narrate  the  various  theories  and  speculations  upon  this  subject 
would  require  a  volume.  Some  have  endeavored  to  prove  by 
learned  argument  that  in  them  are  found  the  lost  tribes  of 
Israel;  others,  led  by  the  fancied  analogy  of  a  few  wc>rds  in 
their  language,  have  given  ready  faith  to  the  belief  that  they 
are  the  descendants  of  a  Welsh  colony,  transported  to  these 
shores  in  a  day  long  gone  by,  and  in  a  manner  utterly  un- 
known. That  they  are  the  offspring  of  tribes,  who,  in  ages  past, 
by  some  means  found  a  passage  to  the  New  World  by  the  way 
of  Behring's  Strait,  has  not  failed  to  find  believers;  while  others 
still,  despairing  of  finding  any  reasonable  proof  of  their  migra- 
tion from  other  continents,  have  yielded  to  the  conclusion  that 
they  are  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  soil,  and  the  veritable 
children  of  what  the  Greeks  were  so  fond  ot  calling,  "All-pro- 
ducing earth,"  and  "Earth  mother  of  all  things."  All  these 
varied  speculations  we  will  leave  to  those  who  delight  in  the 
unknown  and  the  marvelous;  it  is  enough  for  us  to  know  the 
simple  story  of  the  tribe  who  once  owned  the  land  we  now  in- 
habit, but  have  passed  away,  leaving  but  the  shadow  of  a  name. 
The  vessel  which  bore  the  great  navigator  Hudson  had  scarcely 
entered  the  Narrows,  when  there  came  on  board  the  natives  of 
the  newly  discovered  land,  "clothed  in  mantles  of  feathers, 
and  robes  of  fur,  the  women  clothed  in  hemp;  red  copper  to- 

5 


66  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

bacco  pipes,  and  other  things  of  copper  they  did  wear  about 
their  necks."  They  evidently  came  with  thoughts  of  peace 
for  "  of  arms  they  brought  none,"  but  still  "  he  did  not  trust 
them."  A  boat  which  he  sent  up  the  river  the  next  day  was  at- 
tacked on  its  return,  and  one  of  the  English  sailors,  John  Cole- 
man, was  killed  by  an  arrow  shot  in  his  throat.  He  was  buried 
on  the  adjacent  beach,  and  was  the  first  white  victim  of  an  In- 
dian weapon,  in  the  region  of  the  Hudson.  On  his  voyage 
up  the  river  he  met  with  many  tribes  and  seems  to  have  received 
a  cordial  welcome.  When  he  had  passed  through  the  High- 
lands on  his  return  his  vessel  was  becalmed  opposite  Stony 
Point,  and  then  "the  people  of  the  mountains"  came  on 
board  and  "wondered  at  the  ship  and  the  weapons."  One 
canoe  came  to  the  stern,  and  its  occupant  was  detected  in  steal- 
ing "  a  pillow  and  two  shirts  and  two  bandoliers."  A  well  di- 
rected shot  struck  him  in  the  breast  and  he  was  killed.  When 
they  had  continued  their  voyage  and  were  near  Manhattan 
Island,  another  conflict  occurred,  and  a  volley  of  arrows  fired 
at  the  ship  was  returned  by  a  discharge  of  musketry  "  which 
killed  two  or  three  of  them  :"  and  thus  the  first  chapter  of  the 
history  of  New  York  was  stained  with  blood,  and  a  war  began 
which,  with  occasional  intervals  of  partial  peace,  continued  till 
the  native  tribes  were  so  utterly  extinguished  that  to-day  the 
few  relics  of  the  race  are  objects  of  interest  and  curiosity. 

The  Indians  who  inhabited  the  shores  of  the  Hudson  River 
were  of  one  race  and  of  one  language,  with  the  exception  of 
slight  dialectic  peculiarities.  Under  the  name  of  Algonquins, 
were  included  the  various  tribes  that  inhabited  New  England, 
Long  Island,  the  eastern  portion  of  New  York  and  regions  to 
the  south.  The  tribe  that  claimed  the  land  now  embraced  in 
Dutchess  and  Putnam  and  extending  to  the  north  as  far  as 
Roeloff  Jansen's  Kill,  in  Columbia  county,  were  known  as  the 
Wappingers,  a  name  which  appears  under  several  different 
forms.  The  afiidavit  of  King  Nimham,  dated  October  13th,  1730, 
states  that  ■'  the  deponent  is  a  River  Indian  of  the  tribe  of  the 
Wappinoes,  which  tribe  was  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the 
eastern  shore  of  Hudson's  river,  from  the  city  of  New  York  to 
about  the  middle  of  Beekman's  Patent,"  that  "another  tribe 
of  River  Indians  called  the  Mahiccondas  were  the  ancient  in- 
habitants of  the  remaining  eastern  shore  of  the  river,  and  these 
two  tribes  constituted  one  nation."     Thev  were  in  fact  one  of 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  67 

the  tribal  divisions  of  the  Mahicaus,  whose  name  is  known,  not 
only  in  the  prosaic  pages  of  history,  but  is  embellished  with  all 
the  .charms  of  romance,  by  the  matchless  genius  of  the  greatest 
of  American  novelists. 

The  Wappingers  were  divided  into  chieftaincies,  and  of  these 
one  was  the  Nochpeems,'  who  were  said  to  occupy  the  high- 
lands north  of  Anthony's  Nose.  Van  der  Donck,  one  of  the 
earliest  writers  of  this  portion  of  the  countr3^  assigns  them 
three  villages  on  the  Hudson;  Keskistkonck,  Pasquasheck  and 
IS'ochpeems;  but  their  principal  village  was  Canopns,  which  was 
situated  in  a  valley  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  topo- 
graphical features  of  Putnam  county,  and  known  as  Canopus 
Hollow.  The  principal  residence  of  the  tribe  was  north  of  the 
Highlands,  and  on  the  borders  of  the  Wappingers  Creek;  but 
that  they  were  generally  included  in  the  name  of  Highland  In- 
dians, is  shown  by  a  sentence  in  a  letter  from  Grovernor  Love- 
lace to  Grovernor  Winthrop,  December  29th,  1669: 

"  I  believe  I  can  resolve  your  doubt  concerning  what  is  meant 
by  Highland  Indians  amongst  us.  The  Wappingers  and  Wick- 
eskect,  etc.,  have  always  been  reckoned  so." 

Of  all  their  possessions  there  are  but  few  perfect  transfer 
titles  on  record  and  one  is  a  deed  by  which  "  Sackereghkigh  for 
himself  and  in  the  name  of  Megrieskiu  Sachem  of  the  Wap- 
pinger  Indians,"  and  other  Indians  sold  the  land  included  in  the 
Rumbout  Patent.  The  original  deed  by  which  the  land  in  Put- 
nam county  was  conveyed  to  Borland  and  Seabrant,  who  trans- 
ferred their  title  to  Adolph  Philipse,  is  still  in  existence,  and 
our  knowledge  of  the  facts  connected  with  it  is  derived  not 
only  from  this,  but  from  the  statements  made  in  the  documents 
concerning  the  claim  of  the  Sachem  David  Nimham.  All  men- 
tion of  this  tribe  seems  to  indicate  that  they  were  of  a  warlike 
and  savage  nature.  At  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  war  against 
the  Dutch,  in  1643,  "Pachem  a  crafty  man,  ran  through  all  the 
villages  urging  the  Indians  to  a  general  massacre."  "The  first 
aggressive  act  was  by  the  Wappingers,  who  seized  a  boat  coming 
from  Fort  Orange,  killed  two  men  and  took  four  hundred 
beaver  skins."  It  was  only  after  a  sanguinary  struggle  that  the 
various  tribes  were  subdued,  and  in  1645,  a  treaty  was  concluded 
between  the  Dutch  and  the  various  River  Indians,  among  whom 
were  included  the  "  Wappinex."     This  treaty  continued  till  the 

'  Ruttenber,  "  Indian  Tribes  of  Hudson's  River,"  page  80. 


68  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COITNTY. 

time  of  the  English  conquest,  though  they  were  frequently  en- 
couraged to  unite  with  other  tribes  in  a  general  revolt.  After 
the  conquest  of  1664,  every  eflEort  was  made  by  the  English  to 
remove  the  cause  which  had  led  to  so  much  trouble  under  the 
Dutch,  and  one  agreement,  which  was  of  the  greatest  import- 
ance, was  that  no  purchase  of  land  of  the  Indians  should  be 
esteemed  a  good  title,  without  leave  first  had  and  obtained  from 
the  governor,  and  that  after  such  leave  the  purchaser  should 
bring  before  the  governor  "  the  Sachem  or  right  owner,"  to 
acknowledge  satisfaction  and  payment,  when  all  proceedings 
should  be  entered  on  record,  and  constitute  a  valid  title.  Their 
adherence  to  the  English  is  shown  by  the  fact  that,  in  the  war 
with  the  French,  in  1689,  the  Wappingers  or  "Indians  of  the 
long  reach  "  as  they  were  called,  accepted  an  invitation  to  take 
part  in  the  war,  and  with  their  head  sachem  and  all  the  males 
of  the  tribe  able  to  bear  arms,  went  to  Albany  and  thence  to  the 
field.  Throughout  the  long  struggle  between  the  French  and 
English,  the  Wappingers  bore  an  important  part.  Moving  their 
families  to  Stockbridge,  they  furnished  a  corps  of  about  three 
hundred  in  the  war  of  1754,  and  after  the  war  "  they  demanded 
restitution  from  the  Abenaquis  for  the  loss  of  one  of  their 
number,  and  delayed  the  consummation  of  peace  with  them  till 
1762."     In  1774,  Governor  Tryon  writes: 

"  The  river  tribes  have  become  so  scattered  and  so  addicted 
to  wandering  that  no  certain  account  of  their  numbers  can  be 
obtained.  These  tribes,  the  Wappingers  of  Dutchess  county, 
etc.,  have  generally  been  denominated  River  Indians  and  con- 
sist of  about  three  hundred  fighting  men.  Most  of  these  people 
at  present  profess  Christianity  and  as  far  as  in  their  power 
adopt  our  customs,  the  greater  part  of  them  attended  the  army 
in  the  late  war." 

As  the  name  of  Wappingers  has  passed  into  history,  it  may 
be  proper  here  to  add  a  word  as  to  its  origin  and  significance. 
The  name  has  been  greatly  corrupted  from  its  original  form.  It 
is  supposed  to  be  derived  from  the  words  WaJium,  east;  and 
aoJci,  land  or  j)lace;  and  as  applied  to  the  Indians  themselves 
may  be  rendered  Eastlanders,  or  men  of  the  east. 

After  the  peace  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  returned  to  the  vicinity 
of  its  old  abiding  place,  and  found  the  whole  region  sparsely 
settled  by  tenants  of  the  landed  proprietors  to  whom  the  lands 
had  been  granted  by  the  crown.  There  was  no  place  in  which 
they  could  stay  in  peace.     The  good  lands  had  of  course  been 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  69 

the  first  to  be  occupied  by  the  whites,  whose  advancing  settle- 
ments elbowed  the  Indians  out  of  all  except  the  rocks  and 
morasses.  Whether,  strictly  speaking,  the  Indians  were 
wronged  may  be  a  question.  But  they  were  destitute,  and  saw 
themselves  more  and  more  closely  hemmed  in  by  those  who 
occupied  the  lands  they  had  once  possessed.  And,  sometimes 
aided  by  sympathizing  whites,  too  often  instigated  by  designing 
ones,  such  was  the  basis  of  the  controversies  that  long  dis- 
turbed the  frontier.  With  regard  to  the  Philipse  settlements 
these  were  of  great  historic  interest.  Upon  the  return  of  the 
Wappingers  in  1762,  they  found  their  lands  in  possession  of 
the  heirs  of  Adolph  Philipse.  Some  of  the  papers  relating  to 
the  controversy  are  still  in  existence  in  the  office  of  the  secre- 
tary of  State  and  in  the  papers  of  the  Philipse  family,  and  as 
they  have  never  appeared  in  print,  no  apology  is  offered  for 
presenting  them  somewhat  in  full.  In  addition  to  the  state- 
ment of  the  claims  certain  incidental  allusions  throw  great  light 
upon  the  early  settlement  of  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county. 
About  1763  a  number  of  the  Philipse  tenants  renounced  their 
leases  and,  taking  others  from  the  Indians,  continued  to  occupy 
the  land  but  refused  to  pay  rent  to  those  claiming  under  the 
patentee,  who  brought  ejectment  and  succeeded  in  ousting  the 
occupants.  But  the  defeated  tenant  was  invariably  irresponsible, 
the  Indians  more  so,  and,  though  successful  from  a  legal  point 
of  view,  the  Philipse  representatives  found  themselves  put  to 
great  and  increasing  harrassment  and  expense.  Suits  at  law 
having  thus  proved  an  inefficient  remedy,  under  advice  of  their 
counsel,  William  Livingston  and  James  Duane — both  soon  to 
become  so  famous — thej^  decided  to  appeal  to  the  Chancery 
jurisdiction.  Under  the  then  charter  the  Grovernor  in  Council 
constituted  the  High  Court  of  Chancery  of  the  colony.  And  on 
the  6th  day  of  February,  1765,  was  presented  to  this  tribunal 
the  petition,  an  abstract  of  which  is  given  in  the  minutes  of  the 
Council,  from  which  the  following  is  taken  : 

''  At  a  Council  held  at  Fort  George  in  the  City  of 
New  York  on  Wednesday  the  sixth  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1765. 

Present 
The  HonoWe  Cadwallader  Golden,  Esqi"  Lieut.  Governor  &ct. 
Mr.  Horsmanden  Mr.  Walton 

Mr.  Smith  Mr.  Delancey 

Mr.  Watts  Mr.  Keade. 


70  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"The  Petition  and  Memorial  of  Roger  Morris,  Beverly  Rob- 
inson, and  Philip  Philipse,  Proprietors  and  Owners  of  a  Tract 
of  Land  granted  by  the  Letters  Patent  of  his  late  Majesty  King 
William  the  third,  under  the  Great  Seal  of  this  Province, 
bearing  date  the  17th  day  of  June  1697,  unto  Adolph  Philipse 
late  of  the  City  of  New  York  deceased,  lying  in  the  County  of 
Dutches, '  and  farther  bounded,  as  by  the  said  Letters  Patent 
may  Appear :  Was  laid  before  the  Board  and  Read;  Setting 
forth,  That  one  Samuel  Monroe,  who  formerly  setled  a  part  of 
the  said  Tract  of  Land,  as  Tenant  under  the  said  Adolph 
Philipse,  combining  with  several  other  Persons,  and  particu- 
larly with  Stephen  Wilcocks  and  Charles  Peck,  how  to  distress 
the  Memorialists,  hath  lately  Spirited  up  several  Indians,  to  lay 
claim  to  the  said  Tract  of  Land,  as  the  native  and  Original  Pro- 
prietors thereof,  under  the  pretence  that  the  same  was  never 
purchased  from  the  Natives,  and  that  the  said  Indians  are  the 
true  Owners  thereof,  and  have  a  Right  to  G-rant  and  dispose  of 
the  same  Notwithstanding  any  Grant  or  Patent  from  the  Crown. 
That  the  said  Samuel  Munroe  and  his  Confederates,  did  cause 
the  said  Indians  to  elect  him  their  Attorney  and  Guardian,  to 
enter  upon  and  take  possession  of  the  said  premises,  and  to 
lease  lett  and  sell  the  same.  Who  in  pursuance  thereof,  had  by 
Publick  Advertisement  notifyed  a  Time  and  place,  for  persons 
to  appear  to  be  informed  as  to  the  Reality  of  the  said  Indian 
Claim;  and  to  take  Leases  of  the  said  Lands;  and  that  in  Con- 
sequence thereof  sundry  persons  residing  within  the  Bounds  of 
the  said  Tract  of  land,  and  others,  have  appeared  and  were  offered 
Leases  by  the  said  Samuel  Munroe  for  99  Years  for  any  Farms 
within  the  same;  and  that  the  said  Samuel  Munro,  together 
with  Nimham  the  principal  of  the  said  Indians,  threatens  to- 
turn  every  person  refuseing  such  Leases,  out  of  possession.  By 
means  whereof  several  of  the  Memorialists  Tenants  have  been 
induced  to  take  and  hold  under  such  Leases,  and  others  who 
setled  without  Leases,  refuse  to  take  Leases  from  the  Memori- 
alists, but  claim  to  hold  as  tenants  to  the  said  Indians,  hoping 
by  their  Strength  and  Numbers  to  dispossess  the  Memorialists 
of  the  said  Tract  of  Land.  And  that  as  the  proceedings  of  the 
said  Samuel  Munroe  and  his  Confederates,  do  manifestly  tend 
to  the  Disinherison  of  his  Majesty;  and  the  Memorialists  cannot 
apply  any  adequate  Remedy  in  the  Common  Course  of  the 
Law — The  Memorialists  therefore  humbly  pray  the  Interposi- 
tion of  this  Board  and  such  Relief  in  the  premises  as  to  his 
Honour  shall  seem  fit  and  reasonable. 

"On  reading  whereof  It  is  ordered  that  the  said  Petition  be 
referred  to  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Council  or  any  three  of  them, 
whereof  one  of  the  Judges  to  be  one." 

The  committee  thus  appointed  made  a  report  to  the  Governor 
in  Council  March  6th,  1765,  from  which  the  following  is  quoted: 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  71 

"  May  it  please  Your  Honour. 

"  In  Obedience  to  your  Honour's  Order  in  Council  of  the  sixth 
of  February  Instant,  referring  to  a  Committee  of  the  Gentlemen 
of  the  Council,  or  any  three  of  them,  whereof  one  of  the  Judges 
to  be  one,  the  petition  and  Memorial  of  Roger  Morris,  Beverly 
Robinson  and  Philip  Philipse  ■*  *  *  *  the  Committee  hav- 
ing maturely  weighed  and  considered  the  same,  humbly  beg 
leave  to  report  to  Your  Honour 

"  1st.  That  it  appears  to  this  Committee  that  the  Tract  of 
Land  mentioned  in  the  said  Petition  and  Memorial,  was  duly 
purchased  of  the  Natives,  and  does  now  belong  to  the  said 
Memorialists,  who  have  within  the  Bounds  thereof  a  considera- 
ble Number  of  tenanted  Farms  and  Improvements. 

"  2dly.  That  on  the  seventeenth  Day  of  November  last,  five 
Indians,  known  by  the  Names  of  Stephen  Kounhum,  Daniel 
Nimham,  One-pound  Packtown,  Jacob  Aaron,  and  Jacobus 
Nimham,  did  chuse  and  elect  one  Samuel  Monroe  of  Dutchess 
County  aforesaid,  by  an  Instrument  in  Writing  of  that  Date, 
their  Attorney,  arid  Guardian  of  their  Persons  and  Estates,  for 
them  to  enter  upon  and  take  possession  of  their  Messuages 
Lands,  Tenements,  Hereditaments  and  Premises,  in  the  said 
County  of  Dutchess,  and  the  Profits  thereof  to.  take,  till  they 
shall  be  better  capable  of  transacting  their  own  Afifairs,  and  that 
the  Messuages  Lands,  Tenements  Hereditaments  and  Premises, 
meant  and  intended  by  the  said  Instrument,  are  contained  within 
the  Bounds  of  the  said  Patent,  and  claimed  by  the  said  Indians, 
as  the  native  Owners  and  proprietors  thereof,  and  without  any 
Grant  or  patent  from  the  Crown. 

"3dly:  That  in  order  to  give  the  greater  Weight  to  the  said 
Instrument,  it  was  taken  and  acknowledged  by  the  said  Indians, 
before  Jacobus  Terboss,  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  for  the  said  County  of  Dutchess,  and  John  Akin, 
one  of  his  Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  said  County, 
and  by  them  allowed  and  subscribed,  which  appears  to  this 
Committee  such  an  Abuse  of  their  respective  Offices,  and  so 
dangerous  a  precedent  for  encouraging  Indian  Claims  against 
the  Rights  of  the  Crown,  and  in  Disinherison  of  his  Majesty, 
that  the  Committee  is  humbly  of  Opinion,  that  an  Order  of  Your 
Honour  in  Council  ought  to  be  served  on  the  said  Terboss  and 
Akins,  for  them  to  shew  Cause  why  they  ought  not  to  be  dis- 
placed for  such  Misconduct 

"4thly:  That  the  said  Daniel  Nimham,  one  of  the  Indians 
above  mentioned,  did  some  time  in  June  or  July  last  give  a 
Lease  to  one  Stephen  Wilcocks  for  the  Lands,  on  which  the 
said  Wilcocks  then  lived,  lying  within  the  Bounds  of  the  said 
Letters  Patent,  for  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  Years,  and 
that  the  said  Samuel  Monroe  and  Stephen  Wilcocks,  at  the  same 
time  entered  into  an  Obligation  to  the  said  Daniel  Nimham,  to 
defend  his  Title,  as  a  Native  Indian  to  the  said  Lands. 


72  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"  5th]y:  That  Daniel  Monroe,  Son  of  the  said  Samuel  Monroe, 
and  one  Joseph  Craw,  have  also  taken  two  several  Leases,  from 
the  said  Daniel  Nimham  for  two  several  Pai'ms,  lying  within  the 
Bounds  of  the  said  Letters  Patent,  and  severally  entered  into 
Obligations  to  him,  for  the  payment  of  their  respective  Rents. 

"  6thly:  That  it  further  appears  to  the  Committee,  that  the 
said  Samuel  Monroe,  has  at  a  Publick  Meeting  of  many  People, 
on  the  Subject  of  the  said  Indian  Claim,  read  or  cause  to  be 
read  Your  Honour's  Proclamation  grounded  on  his  Majesty's  ad- 
ditional Instruction,  relative  to  Lands  reserved  by  Indians, 
and  insisted  that  the  said  Proclamation  extended  to  and  sup- 
ported the  aforesaid  Indian  Claim.  And  that  it  also  appears  to 
us,  that  the  said  Samuel  Monroe  has  caused  Copies  of  the  said 
Proclamation  to  be  publickly  fixed  up,  to  countenance  and  give 
Colour  to  the  said  Claim,  has  openly  and  repeatedly  avowed, 
that  he  mantained  the  said  Indians  Claim,  and  declared  that  the 
same  was  well  founded,  that  the  Claim  to  those  holding  under 
the  said  Patent  from  the  Crown  to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse 
was  without  Title,  laboured  to  convince  their  Tenants,  that  they 
would  be  ruined,  and  threatned  the  said  Tenants  with  Ruin, 
if  they  continued  to  hold  under  their  said  Landlords. 

"7thly:  That  by  reason  of  the  above  Practices  of  the  said 
Samuel  Monro'e,  and  the  Indians  aforesaid,  and  his  Abuse  and 
Perversion  of  the  said  Proclamation,  great  Numbers  of  persons 
resideing  within  the  Bounds  of  the  said  Patent,  are  deluded 
into  a  Belief  of  the  Validity  of  an  Indian  Title  against  the 
Orants  of  the  Crown,  which  by  stirring  up  the  Indians  to  simi- 
lar Claims,  may  be  attended  with  Dangerous  Consequences  to 
the  peace  and  Tranquility  of  the  Province,  and  greatly  dis- 
courage the  farther  Settlement  and  Improvement  of  the  Country 

■'  8thly:  The  Committee  hambly  conceive  that  the  said  Sam- 
uel Monroe,  in  granting  Leases  for  any  Lands  within  the  Bounds 
of  the  said  Patent,  as  Attorney  and  Guardian  to  the  said  In- 
dians as  Native  proprietors  thereof,  And  the  said  Daniel  Mon- 
roe, Joseph  Craw  and  Stephen  Wilcocks  by  accepting  Leases 
from  the  said  Indians  for  Lands  already  patented  by  the  Crown,, 
do  in  Fact  set  up  the  Title  of  the  Natives  as  paramount  to  the 
Rights  of  the  Crown,  and  to  the  Disinherison  of  his  Majestj^, 
and  have  thereby  been  Gruilty  of  a  high  Misdemeanor,  and  that 
the  said  Samuel  Monroe  and  Stephen  Wilcocks,  by  their  oblig- 
ing themselves  to  defend  such  Indian  Titles  and  Claims,  and  the 
said  Daniel  Monroe,  Joseph  Craw  and  Stephen  Wilcocks  in  ac- 
cepting the  said  Leases  are  Guilty  of  Maintenance  and  punish- 
able at  the  Suit  of  the  King 

"That  the  Committee  therefore  in  Vindication  of  his  Majes- 
ty's undoubted  Right  to  all  the  Lands  in  his  Dominions  as  Su- 
preme Lord  which  is  presumptuously  impeached  by  such  pre- 
tended Title  advise  your  Honour  to  direct  his  Majesty's  Attorney 


GENEUAL   HISTORY.  73 

General  to  exhibit  Informations  in  the  Supreme  Court  against 
the  said  Samuel  Monroe,  Daniel  Monroe,  Stephen  Wilcox  and 
Joseph  Craw  for  their  respective  Offences  aforesaid 
"  AH  which  is  nevertheless  submitted. 

"  By  Order  of  the  Committee 

"  Danl:  Hoesmandew 
"Chairman. 
"  New  York  the  6th  March,  1765." 

The  Minutes  of  the  Council  proceed: 

"  Which  Report  on  the  Question  being  put  was  agreed  to,  and 
approved  of.  And  it  is  ordered  by  his  Honour  the  Lieutenant 
Governor  with  the  Advice  of  the  Council,  that  a  Copy  of  the 
said  Report  of  this  Order  be  delivered  to  his  Majesty's  Attor- 
ney General,  and  that  he  do  forthwith  exhibit  Informations 
against  Samuel  Monroe,  Daniel  Monroe,  Stephen  Wilcox  and 
Joseph  Craw  named  in  the  said  Report,  for  the  Matters  therein 
particularly  mentioned." 

Meanwhile  the  Indians  had  not  been  idle.  There  was  no  pos- 
sible defense  to  the  proceeding  instituted  by  the  Philipse  heirs. 
The  prerogative  of  the  Crown  was  held  sacred  and  the  produc- 
tion of  the  royal  grant  an  absolute  bar  at  law  and  in  equity  to 
any  proceeding  in  derogation  of  the  title  purporting  to  be  there- 
by granted,  except  one — an  appeal  to  the  representative  of  the 
crown,  and,  upon  suggestion  of  abuse  of  the  royal  confidence, 
a  proceeding  to  have  the  patent  annulled  by  a  new  exercise  of 
the  prerogative.  The  Indians  seem  to  have  been  well  advised, 
and  such  an  appeal  was  made,  as  the  following  shows: 

(land  papers  xyiii,  127.) 

"  To  the  Honorable  Cad  wall  ader  Colden,  Esquire  his  Majestys 
Lieutenant  Governor  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Province  of 
New  York,  and  the  Territories  depending  thereon  in  America. 

"  The  Petition  of  David  Nimham,  Jacobus  Nimham,  One 
Pound  pocktwo  Stephen  Cowenham,  and  other  Native  Indians 
of  the  the  Tribe  of  Wappinger. 

"  Most  Humbly  Sheweth 

•'That  they  and  their  Tribe  for  Time  Immemorial,  by  their 
Native  Right  have  been  in  possession  of  certain  Tracts  of  Land 
Scituate  lying  and  being  in  the  Southermost  part  of  Dutchess 
County;  adjoining  the  Northermost  part  of  Westchester  County, 
both  within  the  province  of  New  York;  which  right  Your  pe- 
titioners are  come  down  with  tlieir  proper  Vouchers  and  Evi- 
dence to  satisfy  your  Honor  touching  the  reality  thereof. 

"  That  the  cause  of  this  application  is  owing  to  the  Encroach- 
ment of  several  persons,  who  have  for  a  Series  of  Time  past, 
Step  by  Step,  very  illegally  seated  themselves  upon  and  do  now 


74  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

occupy  and  possess  the  said  Tracts  of  Land,  to  the  Manifest 
Wrong  and  Injury  of  your  petitioners  and  contrary  to  the 
especial  Orders  and  directions  of  the  British  Crown;  complaint 
whereof  hath  often  been  made  by  the  said  Tribe  without  Redres. 

"  That  the  Rise  and  Foundation  of  your  Petitioners  past  and 
present  complaints,  are  chiefly  from  a  Patent  which  appears  on 
Record  in  the  Secretary's  office  in  Lib.  No.  7,  page  119,  bearing 
Date  the  Sixteenth  Day  of  June  One  Thousand  Six  Hundred 
and  Ninety-Seven,  whereby  the  Land  so  claimed  by  your  Peti- 
tioners to  these  first  Rights  and  property  is  granted  to  Adolph 
Philipse;  the  description  of  which  said  Land  in  and  by  the 
Abstract  hereunto  annexed  fully  appears. 

"  That  your  Petitioners  utterly  deny  those  lands  were  ever 
purchased  of  their  Tribe,  for  any  valuable  or  other  considera- 
fion  whatever  by  the  said  Adolph  Philipse;  and  therefore  said 
Patent  must  have  been  by  some  misrepresentation  (with  respect 
to  any  legal  purchase)  unfairly  obtained,  to  the  great  disturb- 
ance and  annoying  your  Petitioners  in  the  the  peaceable  and 
quiet  Enjoyment  thereof. 

"  That  your  petitioners  are  a  Tribe  (with  humble  Submission) 
well  known  to  have  at  all  Times  demeaned  themselves  in  a  de- 
cent becoming  manner,  and  have  on  all  occasions,  to  the  utmost 
of  their  power  and  ability,  at  the  risque  of  their  Lives,  assisted 
in  defending  the  Territories  of  their  dignified  King  and 
Governor,  who  by  his  Roj^al  proclamations  from  Time  to  Time 
issued,  hath  promised  protection  to  the  persons  and  Property 
of  your  Petitioners. 

"  Who  Therefore  in  the  most  supplicant  manner,  thus  per- 
sonally present  and  lay  before  Yoor  Honor  as  His  Majesty's 
representative  this  their  Complaint  and  great  Grievance,  firmly 
relying  on  your  protection,  direction  and  Assistance  as  far  as 
consistent  in  your  Honour's  wise  Judgment;  and  agreeable  to 
his  Majesty's  Instruction  in  his  Royal  proclamation,  given  at 
St.  James  the  ninth  Day  of  December  One  Thousand  Seven 
Hundred  and  Sixty-one,  and  in  the  Second  Year  of  his  Reign, 
for  which  your  Petitioners  as  in  Humble  Duty  bound  will  ever 
Pray  &c. 

"  New  York,  March  1st,  1765.  his 

"  Daniel  X  Nimiiam. 

"  Your  Honor  will  be  pleased  mark 

to  observe- that  there  are  several  his 

of  your  petitioners  Evidences  at-  "  One  Pound  X  Pocktone. 
tending   (with   themselves)   at   a  mark, 

very    great    Expense    therefore  his 

your  petitioners  humbly  sue  for        "  Jacobus  X  Nimham. 
your  Honours  answer.  mark 

his 
"  Stephen  X  Kownham." 
mark. 


GENJKKAL    HISTOEY.  75 

Proceedings  in  Chancery  were  more  summary  then  than  in 
later  days.  The  Philipse  representatives  were  summoned 
forthwith  and  a  trial  immediately  had.  The  occasion  was  a 
dramatic  one.  The  Lieutenant-Governor  presided,  and  about 
him  sat  his  council,  the  magnates  of  the  province,  including  the 
Earl  of  Stirling  and  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Nimham, 
the  Indian  King,  appeared  in  person  with  his  principal  subjects, 
and  was  assisted  by  Munroe.  Roger  Morris  and  Bevei'ly 
Robinson  appeared  in  person  for  the  representatives  of  the 
patentee;  and  then  and  there  was  summarily  decided  the  claim 
upon  which  the  survivors  of  the  great  Wappinger  nation  had 
staked  their  last  chance  for  a  foothold  in  the  land  their  an- 
cestors had  ruled.  No  other  description  can  be  so  graphic  as 
the  Minutes  of  the  Council.     We  quote: 

"  At  a  Council  held  at  Fort  George  in 
the  City  of  New  York  on   Wednesday 
the  sixth  day  of  March,  1765. 
Present: 

"  The  HonWe  Cadwallader  Colden,  Esqr.  Lieut.  Governor,  &c. 
Mr.  Horsmanden,     Mr.  Delancey, 
Mr.   Smith,  Earl  of  Sitrling, 

Mr.  Watts,  Mr.  Reade, 

Mr.  Walton, 
"  His  Honour  the  Lieutenant  Governor  laid  before  the  Board  a 
petition  of  Daniel  Nimham,  Jacobus  Nimham,  One  Pound  Poc- 
tone,  Stephen  Cowenham,  and  other  Native  Indians  of  the  Tribe 
of  Wappinger,  Setting  forth,  that  they  and  their  Tribe  for 
Time  immemorial  by  their  Native  Right,  have  been  in  possession 
of  certain  Tracts  of  Land  in  the  Southernmost  part  of  Dutches 
County,  adjoining  the  Northernmost  part  of  Westchester 
County.     *     *     *     * 

"  On  reading  whereof  the  four  Indians  named  in  the  Petition 
were  called  in,  together  with  Samuel  Munroe  their  Guardian 
who  attended  with  them.  And  Roger  Morris  and  Beverly 
Robinson,  who  hold  lands  under  the  said  Patent,  being  also 
present  the  said  Indians  were  asked  what  they  had  to  say  or 
to  produce  in  Support  of  their  Claim.  Whereupon  Daniel 
Nimham  who  spoke  for  himself,  and  interpreted  what  the 
rest  said,  informed  the  Council  they  claimed  the  Lands 
under  their  Ancestors  who  had  never  sold  them.  The  said 
Beverly  Robinson  then  produced  an  Original  Deed,  signed  by 
Tachquararos,  Cowenhahum,  Siengham,  Shawiss,  Sipowerak, 
Cramaracht,  Wassawawogh,  and  Mecopap  Native  Indians  and 
proprietors  of  sundry  tracts  of  Land  in  Dutches  County,  bear- 
ing Date  the '13th  August  1702,  sealed  and  delivered  in  the 
presence  of  J.V.  Cortlandt,  William  Sharpas,  Philip  Van  Cort- 


76  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

landt,  Blaiidiena  Bayard,  and  of  tliree  Indians  subscribing 
Witnesses  thereto,  whereby  the  said  Indian  Grantees  convey 
all  their  Right  and  Title  to  the  Lands  therein  mentioned 
(being  the  same  Lands,  and  described  in  the  same  Words  as 
those  Granted  by  the  Patent  aforesaid)  to  the  said  Adolph 
Phiiipse  and  to  his  heirs  and  Assigns  for  Ever.  And  the  Names- 
of  the  said  Indian  Grantees  being  repeated  to  the  Petitioners 
present,  the  petitioner  One  Pound  poctone,  who  declared  him- 
self to  be  eighty  Years  of  Age  said  he  knew  them  all— And  the 
Board  knowing  the  four  Witnesses  first  named  to  have  been 
principal  People  at  the  Time  of  the  Transaction;  and  the  Hand 
Writing  of  William  Sharpas  one  of  the  Witnesses,  and  who  ap- 
pears to  have  wrote  the  Deed,  being  well  known.  His  Honour  the 
Lieutenant  Governor  informed  the  Petitioners,  that  himself  and 
the  Gentlemen  of  the  Council  were  of  Opinion,  that  their  An- 
cestors had  fairly  sold  their  Right  to  the  Lands  in  Question. 
That  they  as  their  Descendants  had  no  Claim  to  the  Lands,  and 
that  they  should  give  the  Proprietors  or  their  Tenants  no  farther 
Trouble,  but  suffer  them  to  remain  quiet  and  unmolested  in  the 
Possession  of  what  so  clearly  appeared  to  be  their  Property." 

Beaten,  but  not  discouraged,  the  Indians  attempted  to  secure 
the  assistance  of  Sir  William  Johnson  who  had  so  successfully 
intermediated  in  controversies  between  the  Indian  tribes  and 
the  English.  But  he  declined  to  interfere.  Nimham  then 
went  to  England  and  presented  his  claims  to  the  Lords 
of  Trade,  who  communicated  in  regard  to  the  matter  with 
the  Colonial  Governor,  Sir  Henry  Moore.  In  his  report 
to  the  Lords  of  Trade  Governor  Moore  wrote  that  the 
proceedings  lately  had  in  regard  to  the  Wappinger  Indians  had 
been  "  thoroughly  examined  in  the  presence  of  a  great  con- 
course of  people."  In  this  examination  they  had  been  given 
every  opportunity  and  no  advantage  was  taken  of  technical 
points  or  their  ignorance  of  legal  matters.  He  also  reports  that 
in  1766,  I'iots  had  occurred  in  Dutchess  county,  and  great 
disturbance,  the  Indians  being  at  the  bottom  of  it.  It  was  re- 
ported, and  he  believed  with  truth,  that  the  Indians  were  in  the 
habit  of  selling  their  lands  over  and  over  again,  to  any  who 
were  willing  to  purchase.  The  Lords  of  Trade  also  reported  in 
regard  to  the  petition  of  the  Indians.  The  substance  of  the  re- 
port was  a  relation  of  the  claims  as  narrated  in  preceding  pages. 
It  is  also  stated  that  the  Indians  had  previously  chosen  a  guar- 
dian, and  brought  their  case  before  the  courts,  and  were  defeated 
in  the  trial;  that  they  had  then  appealed  to  the  Governor  and 
Council,  who  reported  that  the  claim  was  groundless  and  that 


GENERAL    HISTORY.  77 

the  lands  were  fairly  sold.  It  seems  that  at  the  time  of  this  re- 
port, 1766,  there  were  "  four  Indian  men  and  three  women  "  in 
England  and  that  others  had  been  there  the  previous  year. 

On  the  22d  of  December,  1766,  Governor  Moore  reported  that 
the  Indians  had  been  "  forcibly  putting  some  poor  people  out 
of  possession  of  their  houses,"  and  had  a  second  time  been 
committing  disorders.  This  probably  refers  to  some  difficulties 
with  tenants  who  held  land  under  the  title  of  the  Philipse 
family.  When  he  inquired  of  the  Indians  why  they  had  gone 
to  England,  they  replied  that  "  they  were  persuaded  by  some 
people  to  take  the  voyage,  it  was  no  project  of  their  own."  The 
governor  also  reported  that  "  Munroe,  their  gaardian  had  been 
guilty  of  many  misdemeanors,  and  had  broke  out  of  G-aol,  and 
is,  by  all  accounts  I  can  obtain,  as  infamous  a  person  as  can  be 
found  in  this  Colony."  It  is  evident  that  in  his  opinion  it  was 
time  a  check  was  put  upon  affairs  of  this  kind,  "  to  which  the 
Indians  were  incited  by  white  people  living  near." 

There  are  still  extant  the  briefs  of  both  parties  to  these  pro- 
ceedings and  many  miscellaneous  papers  incidentally  furnish- 
ing data  upon  the  settlement  of  the  county.  For  example, 
among  the  witnesses  whom  Nimham  stated  could  testify  in  re- 
gard to  his  claims  were  John  Van  Tassel  "  of  Philipse  Upper 
Patent;"  Elijah  Tompkins,  "East  end  and  opposite  of  Philipse 
Patent;"  Samuel  Field,  "on  the  Oblong";  John  Tompkins, 
"  on  Philipse  Patent; "  David  Paddock,  "ditto;"  Henry  Fer- 
nander,  "upper  part  of  gore  joining  Fishkill;"  Peter  Ange- 
vine,  "about  middle  of  Philipse  Patent;"  Richard  Curry, 
William  Hill,  Jacobus  Terbush,  "commonly  styled  Judge  Bush, 
at  the  Fishkill;"  James  Dickenson,  Esq.,  "East  end  of  Pat- 
ent;" James  Philipse,  "living  about  the  middle  of  Cortlandts 
Manor."  On  the  Philipse  side  there  was  filed  the  affidavit, 
which  we  quote  : 

"City  of  New  York,  ss.: 

"Timothy  Shaw  of  Dutchess  County  being  duly  sworn  de- 
poseth  and  saith  that  he  formerly  was  a  Tenant  under  Adolph 
Philipse,  deceased  within  the  Patent  commonly  called  the  Up- 
per Patent  in  the  County  aforesaid  being  the  Lands  now  claimed 
by  Roger  Morris  Philip  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robinson  Under 
the  said  Adolph  Philipse  as  this  Deponent  has  understood. 
That  he  this  Deponent  has  now  no  Interest  in  any  Lands  in  the 
said  Upper  Patent  having  disposed  of  all  his  Interest  therein 
upwards  of  seven  Years  ago.     That  he  this  Deponent  is  very 


78  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

well  acquainted  with  all  tbe  Settlements  that  have  been  made 
within  the  Bounds  of  the  said  Upper  Patent  and  has  been  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  Settlements  within  the  Same  about  or 
near  twenty-five  Years  last  past.  That  at  the  Time  this 
Deponent  first  became  acquainted  with  the  said  Upper  Patent 
the  following  Persons  were  either  settled  thereon  or  held  as  he 
understood  from  them  as  Tenants  under  Adolph  Philipse  to 
wit:  Philip  Minthorne  Elisha  Tomkins  John  Tomkins  Wil- 
liam Hunt  Daniel  Townsend  John  Dickenson  James  Dicken- 
son John  Sprague  William  Sturdivant  One  Hill  Moses  Nor- 
throp Senior  Thomas  Philipse  George  Hughson  James  Mc- 
Cready  Samuel  Fields  Amos  Dickenson  Hezekiah  Wright, 
Jeremiah  Calkins  John  Calkins  Joseph  Porter  Ichabod  Vic- 
kerey  Ebeuezer  King  Samuel  Jones  James  Paddock  Peter 
Paddock  David  Paddock  John  Barley  Caleb  Brundige  Wil- 
liam Brandekey  John  Eagleston  Two  Brothers  of  the  name  of 
Bircham  One  Kire  William  Kabelay  Thomas  Kirkam  Na- 
thaniel Robinson  One  Cole  William  Smith  John  Smith  Na- 
thaniel Underbill  Edward  Stevens  One  Bartwo  John  Reynolds 
and  as  this  Deponent  verily  believes  several  others  whose  names 
he  does  not  now  recollect.  That  since  the  Time  of  his  Settle- 
ment on  the  said  Upper  Patent  a  great  Number  of  other  Per- 
sons many  of  whose  names  this  Deponent  could  repeat  were  it 
necessary  have  also  settled  themselves  as  Tenants  of  the  Philipse 
Family  within  the  said  Upper  Patent  and  this  Deponent  verily 
believes  that  of  such  Tenants  there  were  upwards  of  three  hun- 
dred settled  on  the  said  Patent  beyond  the  distance  of  three 
Miles  from  Hudson's  River  before  the  Year  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  six.  That  either  two  or  three  years  ago  in 
the  Winter  Season  the  said  Philip  Philipse  was  at  the  House  of 
Uriali  Lawrance  one  of  the  Tenants  of  the  said  Upper  Patent 
where  Daniel  Niraham  the  Indian  together  with  at  least  three 
hundred  Persons  chiefly  Tenants  of  the  said  Patent  under  the 
Philipse  Family  were  assembled.  That  the  said  Philip  Philipse 
then  and  there  in  the  Hearing  of  this  Deponent  and  as  many  of 
the  said  Persons  there  assembled  as  could  conveniently  crowd 
near  enough  to  hear  what  passed  asked  the  said  Nimham  where 
the  Lands  were  which  He  claimed  whereupon  the  said  Nimham 
said  that  he  had  no  Lands  upon  which  the  said  Philip  Philipse 
asked  the  said  Nimham  why  he  made  such  a  Rout  among  the 
Tenants  to  which  the  said  Nimham  answered  that  he  was  told 
to  do  so  by  Stephen  Cowenham  and  one  Pound  two  other  Indi- 
ans That  the  said  Nimham  never  to  this  Deponent's  Knowl- 
edge lived  within  the  Bounds  of  the  said  Patent  and  that  all 
the  Indians  who  formerly  lived  in  the  said  Patent  had  aband- 
oned it  long  before  the  Year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  six  and  went  and  settled  themselves  as  this  Deponent  has 
been  informed  beyond  Minisink  near  Delaware  and  further  this 
Deponent  saith  not 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


79 


"  Sworn  this  6th  day  his 

of  March,  1767,"  "Timothy  X  Shaw 

"  Before  me  mark 

"Danl  Horsmanden." 

And,  keeping  in  mind  the  object  and  naturally  one-sided  char- 
acter of  the  documents,  the  briefs  are  scarcely  less  valuable. 
From  that  filed  on  behalf  of  Nimham  the  following  extracts  are 
taken: 

"A  Brief  Statement  of  a  Controversy  subsisting  between 
Daniel  Nimham  a  native  Indian  and  an  acknowledged  Sachem 
or  King  of  a  Certain  Tribe  of  Indians  known  and  called  by  the 
name  of  the  Wappinger  Tribe  of  Indians  and  others  of  the  same 
Tribe  Petitioners  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  the  rest  of  the  said 
Tribe  and  the  heirs  and  legal  Representatives  of  Mr.  Adolph 
Philipse,  late  of  the  City  and  Province  of  New  York,  de- 
ceased,    *     *     * 

"  This  Tribe  formerly  were  numerous,  at  present  consists  of 
about  Two  Hundred  and  Twenty  seven  Persons;  they  have  al- 
ways had  a  Sachem  or  Indian  King,  whom  they  have  acknowl- 
edged to  be  the  head  of  said  Tribe  and  to  whose  Government 
they  have  submitted;  and  by  a  Line  of  Succession  the  said 
Government  descended  to  the  said  present  Sachem,  they  have 
for  more  than  a  Century  been  distinguished  for  their  steady 
friendship  and  firm  alliance  with  the  English,  and  their  subjec- 
tion 1.0  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain;     *    *     * 

"  Their  Claim  to  that  part  of  the  above  described  premises 
hath  been  uninterrupted  and  a  Considerable  part  -thereof  for 
many  Years  been  under  actual  improvement  and  occupation  by 
them  and  their  Tenants;  and  they  the  said  Tribe  actually  did 
inhabit  and  improve 
said  Land  by  leases  on 
rents  and  for  their  hunt- 
ing Ground  &c''  agree- 
able to  their  manner  of 
Life  until  the  Com- ' 
mencement  of  the  late 
War;  at  which  time  they  ^'^ 
entered  in  the  Service  of  " 
the  British  Crown,  were 
conducted  forth  into 
the  wars  by  their  i)re- 
sent  Sachem,  who  then 
being  in  the  Prime  and 
Vigor  of  Life  went  in 
Capacity  of  Captain  in  defence  of  the  British  Crown  taking 
under  his  Command  all  the  Males  of  said  Tribe,  that  were  then 
able  and  any  suitable  for  said  service  they  first  having  re- 
moved their  Wives,   Children  and  aged   Persons   to   a  Place 


80  HISTORY   OP   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

called  Stockbridge,  that  they  might  the  more  easily  be  provided 
for  &  better  accommodated  during  their  absence,  and  the  said 
Captain  with  his  Company  aforesaid,  continued  in  the  service 
aforesaid  during  the  whole  Term  of  the  late  War  and  behaved 
valliantly  and  was  eminently  serviceable  in  the  Reduction  of 
Canady  to  the  British  Crown.     *     *     * 

"The  late  war  being  Ended  the  said  Tribe  returned  home, 
when  to  their  great  surprise  they  found  such  Encroachments  on 
their  Improvements,  and  such  destruction  on  their  hunting 
Grounds,  that  they  were  obliged  to  seek  for  Refuge  elsewhere. 
The  said  now  Sachem  sometime  afterwards  having  received  some 
Intelligence  of  his  Majesty's  proclamation  respecting  Indian 
Claims  again  however  took  Courage  and  having  hrst  upon  ad- 
vice and  by  and  with  the  approbation  of  the  Chief  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  one  other  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
said  County  of  Dutchess  Chosen  Mr.  Samuel  Munroe  for  his 
Guardian;  he  with  said  Guardian  again  Leased  out  sundry  farms 
on  said  Land  in  Controversy,  not  in  the  least  doubting  his  right 
so  to  do.  Whereupon  (the  said  Frederick  Philipse  being  dead) 
Mr.  Beverly  Robinson  of  sd.  New  York  having  married  one  of 
the  Daughters  of  Frederick  Philipse  deceased  &  pretending  to 
be  interested  in  the  Lands  in  Controversy  after  having  in  a 
forcible  manner  attempted  to  oust  the  said  Tenants  who  held 
under  said  Tribe  and  after  much  of  his  disrespectful  Conduct 
both  toward  his  King  and  Country,  as  appears  by  the  exhibits 
M.  N.  O.  brought  cases  of  Ejectment  against  fifteen  of  the  said 
Indian  Tenants  and  they  being  chiefly  poor  people,  unitedly 
agreed  to  stand  Trial  in  only  one  of  them,  and  having  raised  a 
sum  of  Money  for  that  purpose,  the  Defendant  in  that  particu- 
lar suit  made  application  for  Council  to  assist  him  therein  but 
upon  Enquiry  (to  his  great  surprise)  found  that  every  Attorney 
at  Law  in  that  whole  Province  was  previously  retained  on  the 
other  side;  whereupon  (being  destitute  of  assistance)  at  the  time 
of  trial  he  motioned  the  Court  for  Liberty  to  speak  for  himself; 
which  being  Granted  he  began  to  offer  something  in  Vindication 
of  his  Cause  but  had  scarsely  uttered  one  single  sentence,  when 
one  of  the  Lawyers  rose  up  and  (interrupting  him)  with  an  air 
of  Confidence  declared  he  was  liable  to  be  committed  for  pre- 
tending to  offer  a  word  in  Vindication  of  a  claim  to  those  Lands 
in  opposition  to  a  Grant  of  the  Crown,  which  struck  such  a 
sudden  Damp  upon  the  spirits  of  the  poor  Man,  that  he  was 
unable  further  to  Conduct  his  Cause  with  any  manner  of  prop- 
riety, or  so  much  as  to  tell  his  plain  honest  story,  which  might 
have  shew  perhaps  the  Justice  of  his  cause  and  prevented  a 
Recovery.  But  without  further  delay  or  any  further  Enquiry 
into  the  Matter,  Judgment  was  forthwith  rendered  in  said  Cause 
and  in  the  rest  of  said  cases  against  all  the  said  fifteen  Defend- 
ants without  any  opportunity  of  a  fair  Trial,  and  thereupon 
writs  of  poissession  Granted  out  against  them  all,  and  the  whole 


GENEEAL   HISTORY.  81 

number  of  fifteen  Tenants  aforesaid,  some  of  which  had  been 
on  said  Lands  Thirty  and  some  Forty  Years,  holding  under  said 
Tribe  turned  ofi  therefrom  and  their  Buildings  and  other  Im- 
provements together  with  the  Crops  of  Grain  &c  they  had  been 
growing  on  said  Lands  and  all  the  fruits  of  their  Labour  & 
Industry  taken  from  them  without  any  manner  of  allowance 
therefor.  Whereupon  the  said  now  Sachem  together  with  some 
other  principal  men  of  said  Tribe  finding,  that  said  Kobinson 
and  the  rest  of  the  heirs  and  legal  representatives  of  the  said 
Mr.  Frederick  Philipse  deceased  were  determined  to  continue 
their  molestations  and  to  use  all  possible  endeavors  surrepti- 
tiously to  defraud  them  of  their  native  right  to  said  Lands  pre- 
ferred their  petition  to  the  Honorable  Cadwallader  Golden  Esqre 
Lieutenant  Governour  and  the  Commander  in  Chief  of  said 
Province  of  New  York  and  his  Council  dated  the  first  day  of 
March  Anno  Domini  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-five, 
as*  per  Exhibit  No.  F.  and  on  the  sixth  of  the  sarne  March  afore- 
said, the  Petitioners  aforesaid  together  with  said  Guardian,  were 
permitted  to  appear  and  did  personally  appear  before  said 
Lieut.  Governour  &  Council,  in  order  to  be  heard  in  the  Matters 
prayed  for  in  their  said  Petition  respecting  said  Lands  and  the 
Encroachments  thereon  made  as  aforesaid  and  (not  able  to  get 
any  assistance  of  any  attorney  at  Law  in  the  whole  province 
aforesaid)  then  and  there  laid  in  their  Claim  to  said  Land  in 
Controversy  themselves  and  then  and  there  stood  ready  to  offer 
sufficient  Evidence  in  support  of  their  said  Claim  and  then  and 
there  expected  to  have  had  opportunity  therefor:  But  instead 
thereof  no  more  was  then  and  there  done  in  the  premises,  than 
as  follows,  viz.: 

"  The  Petitioners  being  asked  by  one  of  the  Gentlemen  of  the 
Council  then  and  there  present,  what  they  had  to  offer  in  sup- 
port of  their  Claim  aforesaid  'i  the  said  now  Sachem  who  spoke 
for  himself  and  Interpreted  what  the  rest  said,  informed  the  said 
Lieut.  Governour  &  Council,  that  they  the  said  petitioners  in 
behalf  of  themselves  and  the  rest  of  the  said  Wappinger  Tribe 
claimed  the  Lands  in  Controversy  under  their  ancestors,  in 
whom  was  the  native  right  and  that  neither  they  nor  their  an- 
cestors nor  any  of  said  Tribe  had  ever  sold,  nor  made  any  legal 
Conveyance  of  said  Land  in  Controversy.  The  said  Mr.  Robin- 
son then  produced  an  Instrument  said  to  be  an  Indian  Deed, 
bearing  date  the  thirteenth  day  of  August  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  two,  which  (if  authentic)  covered  all  the  Lands  in 
Controversy.  But  as  this  was  the  first  Time  that  such  Instru- 
ment was  ever  heard  of  the  Petitioners  and  said  Guardian  de- 
sired to  look  at  said  Instrument  and  having  got  the  same  into 
his  hand  was  about  to  point  out  some  marks  of  fraud  attending 
it,  but  before  he  had  time  to  make  one  single  remark  about  it, 
it  was  by  a  Gentleman  of  the  Council  taken  out  of  his  hands, 
and  thereupon  the  said  Gentleman  of  the  Council  told  the  Peti- 


82  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

doners  they  had  better  go  home  about  their  business  and  quiet 
themselves  and  the  rest  of  said  Tribe  and  give  tliem  no  further 
Trouble  for  (said  he)  Mr.  Robinson  has  a  Deed  of  all  the  Lands 
in  Controversy,  to  which  the  said  now  Sachem  replyed,  that  he 
chose  to  hear  those  words  from  the  Lieutenant  Governour's  own 
mouth  first:  whereupon  the  said  Lieut.  Governour  after  a  short 
Pause  said  that  the  said  Mr.  Robinson  had  a  Deed  of  the  Land  in 
Controversy  and  that  the  Petitioners  must  therefore  go  home  and 
make  themselves  and  the  rest  of  their  Tribe  easy  and  quiet  and 
hot  give  the  said  Governour  and  Council  any  further  Trouble  in 
t"he  premises,  (having  first  asked  an  old  Indian,  one  of  the  Peti- 
tioners, whether  he  ever  knew  any  of  those  Indians  whose 
names  were  subscribed  to  said  pretended  Deed,  who  replyed 
that  he  did,  but  that  he  never  knew  nor  heard  of  their  selling 
or  making  any  Conveyance  of  said  Lands,  neither  did  he  believe 
that  they  or  either  of  them  ever  signed  or  executed  said  Instru- 
ment) whereupon  the  Petitioners  (tho'  very  much  dissatisfied 
on  account  of  the  rough  Treatment  they  met  with,  as  well  as  on 
account  of  their  not  being  permitted  a  fair  Chance  or  oppor- 
tunity to  Vindicate  their  Cause)  returned  home."   *     *     *     * 

"  Finally  it  seems  that  such  a  notable  Transaction  could  not 
have  been  performed  in  the  Dark  nor  have  been  so  soon  forgotten 
by  the  Indians,  especially  considering  that  they  depend  wholly 
upon  Tradition  for  the  Record  (if  it  may  be  so  called)  of  all  their 
proceedings,  and  are  therein  so  extremely  careful,  as  that  they 
do  thereby  retain  among  them  for  many  Centuries  together,  the 
knowledge  or  remembrance  of  matters  of  much  less  Importance — 
From  all  of  which  Circumstances  the  said  Tribe  of  Wappingers 
do  firmly  believe  the  said  Instrument  of  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  &  Two  to  be  spurious  and  not  by  any  means  Genuine 
and  humbly  imagine  said  Lands  (if  at  all  included  in  said 
Patent)  were  Granted  to  said  Mr.  Adolph  Philipse  by  the  letters 
patent  aforesaid  thr(i'  mistake  or  by  means  of  some  misrepre- 
sentation; and  therefore  hope  with  great  Humility,  that  their 
Honest  Cause  will  gain  the  Royal  Attention  and  powerful  In- 
terposition and  Protection;  and  that  they  may  be  again  restored 
to  their  said  Lands,  whereupon  they  are  unjustly  expelled. 

"  The  foregoing  Brief  or  State  of  the  Case  of  the  Wappinger 
Tribe  of  Indians  was  made  on  the  30th  day  of  October  Anno 
Domini  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-five." 

Prom  th«  brief  submitted  by  the  Philipse  representatives  is 
taken  the  following: 

"  A  Summary  of  the  Reasons  humbly  offered  to  his  Excel- 
lency Sir  Henry  Moore  Baronet  Captain  General  &  Governour 
in  Chief  in  &  over  the  province  of  New  York  &  the  Territories 
thereon  depending  in  America,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  and  to  the  Hon- 
ourable his  Majesty's  Council  for  the  said  province  by  Roger 
Morris  Beverly  Robinson  &  Philip  Philipse    *    *    *    in  answer 


GENERAL  HISTORY,  83 

to  a  certain  Memorial  or  Complaint  of  Daniel  Nimham,an  Indian, 
******** 

"The  said  Roger  Morris,  Beverly  Robinson  and  Philip 
Philipse,  tho'  they  firmly  rely  on  their  indisputable  title  to  the 
sd.  lands  as  derived  by  them  Under  the  said  Letters  Patent 
Think  it  nevertheless  their  Duty  hovsrever  repeatedly  called  upon 
to  satisfy  the  Governm't  of  the  Integrity  not  only  of  their  own 
Conduct  but  also  of  the  Conduct  of  those  under  whom  they 
Claim,  as  well  as  in  obtaining  the  said  Letters  Patent  for  the 
said  Tract  of  Land  as  in  possessing  the  same  by  Virtue  of  such; 
Letters  patent. 


*  * 


"  The  patent  appears  to  be  grounded  on  a  petition  of  Adolph 
Philijjse  wherein  the  Fraud  (if  any  had  been  perpetrated  in  ob- 
taining the  patent)  would  naturally  be  found  But  this  petition 
which  is  still  lodged  in  the  Secretary's  office  speaks  in  plain 
Terms  and  sets  forth  a  purchase  made  by  him  of  Jan  Seabringh 
and  Lambert  Dorlandt  of  part  of  the  Lands  contained  within 
the  Bounds  of  the  afsd  Patent  (a  part  of  which  the  said  Me- 
morial &  Complaint  admits  to  have  been  granted  by  the  In- 
dians to  the  said  Seabringh  &  Dorlandt)  to  wit  for  an  Extent 
from  the  River  Eastward  as  far  as  the  Land  of  Coll  Cortlandt 
&  Company  (meaning  the  patent  commonly  called  Rombouts 
Patent)  which  was  known  to  the  Govt,  to  extend  only  sixteen 
Miles  from  the  River  And  the  Colony  Line  was  also  known  to 
the  Governm't  to  be  at  the  Distance  of  20  Miles  from  the 
River.  So  that  the  petitioner  having  set  forth  nothing  more 
than  the  purchase  aforesaid  and  so  framed  his  petition  as  clearly 
to  Shew  a  Vacancy  between  that  purchase  &  the  Colony  Line 
for  which  he  did  not  pretend  to  have  made  an  Indian  purchase 
the  Crown  could  not  be  deceived  in  the  Grant  of  the  said  Let- 
ters Patent  &  therefore  no  Reason  can  be  assigned  why  they 
should  be  at  this  late  day  impeached  or  Questioned:  And  that 
the  more  especiall  because: 

"2dly.  The  Letters  Patent  themselves  contain  no  recitals  or 
suggestions  of  matters  of  fact  as  urged  on  the  part  of  the  pe- 
titioner to  the  Govt,  to  induce  the  Crown  to  grant  them;  But 
appear  to  have  issued  simply  on  the  petition  of  Patentee  praying 
a  Grant  of  the  Lands  without  any  matters  of  fact  urged  by  him 
to  induce  such  Grant.  .Wherefore  *  *  *  the  Letters  Patent 
above  mentioned  issued  in  favor  of  the  said  Adolph  Philipse 
without  the  least  Colour  or  Ground  for  supposing  a  Deceit  on  the 
Crown  in  the  obtaining  the  same*  the  title  in  the  sd  Roger  Morris 
Beverly  Robinson  and  Philip  Philipse  must  be  conclusive.  *  * 
*  and  if  anything  in  Equity  is  now  due  the  Indians  the  Crown 
stands  bound  to  satisfy  them* 

"3dly.  The  said  Adolph  Philipse  tho  he  might  have  relied 
on  his  patent,*  made  a  purchase  of  all  the  Lands  included  with- 
in the  Bounds  of  this  patent  of  them  on  the  13th  Augt.  1702 


84  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  to  prevent  Every  suspicion  that  Fraud,  or  Art  was  used  to 
obtain  this  Deed,  It  will  be  sufficient  to  observe  that  Besides 
three  Indians  who  were  Witnesses  to  it  this  Transaction  was  at- 
tested by  Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt  a  Man  of  Rank  &  Character, 
William  Sharpas  the  Then  Town  Clerk  of  the  City  of  New  York 
— a  person  of  known  probity,  Philip  Van  Cortlandt  then  one 
of  his  Majesty's  Council  of  this  Province  &  Biandina  Bayard  an 
Indian  Interpretress.  Some  of  these  witnesses  are  personally 
known  &  the  handwriting  of  one  of  them  subscribed  to  this 
Deed  was  familiar  to  several  of  the  Members  of  this  Board  *  *  * 
the  Rank  &  Characters  of  the  witnesses  are  sufficient  to  remove 
all  suspicion  that  it  was  illegally  Fraudulently  &  surreptiti- 
ously obtained.     *    *    *    * 

"4thly.  *  *  Those  who  were  acquainted  with  the  Indians 
their  principles  and  practices  know  that  tho'  theywill  very  rarely 
suffer  themselves  to  be  defrauded  of  their  Lands;  yet  in  most 
instances  they  compel  bona  fide  purchasers  by  Repitition  of  their 
Claims  to  make  repeated  payments  to  them;  beyond  the  original 
Consideration  Money 

"5thly.  (Here  follow  references  to  papers,  including  the  affi- 
davit of  Timothy  Shaw.) 

"From  All  which  Considerations  *  *  *  it  must  clearly  ap- 
pear That  the  patent  to  Adolph  Philipse  was  not  unfairly 
obtained  nor  the  Said  Deeds  executed  to  him  by.  the  Indians, 
procured  illegally,  fraudulently  &  surreptitiously,  nor  the 
Lands  possessed  by  the  Indians  until  1756.  Nor  the  possession 
of  them  then  wrongfully  gained  by  the  said  Beverly  Robinson 
Philip  Philipse  and  Roger  Morris  while  the  Indians  were  gone 
into  his  Majesty's  Service  *  *  *  But  on  the  contrary  the  said 
Patent  was  fairly  obtained  without  any  Imposition  on  the  Govt. 
That  the  Indian  Deed  was  procured  by  the  said  Adolph  Philipse 
lawfully,  honestly  &  openly  before  Witnesses  of  the  first  Char- 
acter *  •*  *  &  that  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  &  his  family  so 
far  from  suffering  their  Title  to  Lands  in  Question  to  become 
Stale  and  suspicious  by  Non.  occupancy  proceeded  in  due  time 
to  the  settlement  &  Cultivation  of  these  Lands,  which  were  popu- 
lously inhabited  by  Tenants  under  them  many  Years  since  &and 
which  were  long  ago  abandoned  by  the  Indians  who  were  con- 
scious that  they  had  not  the  least  Right  or  Title  to  them." 

In  the  Revolution  Nimham  and  his  warriors  took  an  active 
part.  Some  sixty  of  them,  expert  marksmen  and  skilled  in  war, 
joined  the  American  forces  and  fought  with  a  bravery  and  valor 
worthy  of  their  ancient  race,  in  the  days  of  their  glory.  Active 
in  the  campaigns  of  1777,  they  joined  Washington  again  in  the 
spring  of  the  following  year,  and  were  detached  with  the  forces 
under  La  Fayette,  to  check  the  depredations  of  the  British  army 
on  its  retreat  from  Philadelphia,  and  they  were  afterward  trans- 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  85 

ferred  to  Westchester  county,  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most 
hotly  contested  struggles  of  the  war. 

It  was  on  the  30th  of  August,  1778,  that  Nimham  and  his 
warrior  band  went  forth  to  the  iield  of  their  last  battle.  On 
that  day  they  met  with  a  scouting  party  of  British  under  Colo- 
nel Emerick,  and  after  a  fierce  engagement  compelled  them  to 
retreat.  On  the  following  morning  the  whole  of  the  British 
force  at  Kings  Bridge  was  ordered  out  and  the  larger  part  was 
placed  in  an  ambuscade,  while  Emerick  was  sent  forward  to  de- 
coy his  assailants  of  the  previous  day.  In  the  extreme  northern 
part  of  the  annexed  portion  of  the  city  of  New  York,  is  a  high 
elevation  of  land,  known  as  Cortlandt's  Ridge.  Winding 
through  the  valleys  and  emptying  into  the  Harlem  River,  near 
Kings  Bridge,  is  a  stream  that  has  borne  from  the  earliest  times 
the  name  of  Tippets  Brook.  The  wooded  heights  and  the 
banks  of  the  stream  were  the  scenes  of  a  most  sanguinary  con- 
flict. The  attempt  to  draw  the  Indians  into  the  ambuscade 
failed,  and  upon  their  advance  the  British  troops  had  scarcely 
time  to  fall  into  rank.  The  Indians  lined  the  fences  and  com- 
menced firing  upon  the  forces  under  Colonel  Emerick.  The 
Queen's  Rangers  moved  rapidly  to  gain  the  heights,  and  Tarle- 
ton  advanced  with  the  Hussars  and  his  famous  Legion  of  Cav- 
alr}^  This  being  reported  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Simcoe,  he 
directed  Major  Ross  to  conduct  his  corps  on  the  heights,  and 
advancing  to  the  road  arrived  within  ten  yards  of  Nimham  and 
his  men.  Up  to  this  time  they  had  been  intent  on  the  attack 
upon  Colonel  Emerick.  They  now  gave  a  yell  and  fired  on  the 
advancing  enemy  and  wounded  five,  including  Colonel  Simcoe. 

They  were  driven  from  the  fence,  and  Tarleton  rushed  upon 
them  with  his  cavalry  and  pursued  them  down  Cortlandt's 
Ridge.  Here  Tarleton  himself  had  a  narrow  escape.  Striking 
at  one  of  the  fugitives,  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell  from  his 
horse.  Fortunately  for  him  the  Indian  had  no  bayonet  and  his 
musket  was  discharged,  A  captain  of  a  company  of  American 
soldiers  was  taken  prisoner  with  some  of  his  men,  and  a  company 
under  Major  Stewart,  who  afterwards  distinguished  himself  at 
the  storming  of  Stony  Point,  left  the  Indians  and  fled.  The  en- 
gagement was  renewed  with  the  fiercest  vigor.  The  cavalry 
charged  the  ridge  with  overwhelming  numbers,  but  were  bravely 
resisted.  As  the  cavalry  rode  them  down,  the  Indians  seizing 
their  foes,  dragged  them  from  their  horses,  to  join  them  in  death. 


86  HISTOEY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

In  a  swamp,  not  far  from  the  brook,  Nimham  made  his  last 
stand.  When  he  saw  the  Grenadiers  closing  upon  him  and  all 
hope  of  successful  resistance  gone,  he  called  out  to  his  people 
to  flee,  but  as  for  himself,  "  I  am  an  aged  tree,  I  will  die  here." 
Being  attacked  by  Simcoe  he  wounded  that  officer,  but  was  shot 
and  killed  by  Wright,  his  orderly  Hussar.  In  this  fearful  fray 
the  power  of  the  tribe  was  forever  broken.  More  than  forty  of 
the  Indians  were  killed  or  desperately  wounded  in  the  fight,  and 
when  the  next  morning  dawned,  there,  still  and  cold  in  death, 
on  the  field  he  had  defended  so  bravely,  lay  the  last  sachem  of 
the  Wappingers. 

The  place  where  they  crossed  Tippets  Brook  is  still  known  as 
Indian  Bridge,  and  an  opening  in  the  Cortlandt  woods  yet  bears 
the  name  of  Indian  Field,  and  there  the  dead  were  buried.  It  is 
said  that  the  spirit  of  the  sachem  still  haunts  the  field  of  his 
last  battle,  and  that  the  sound  of  his  war  cry  still  rises  on  the 
midnight  air,  and  greets  the  ear  of  the  belated  traveller  as  he 
treads  on  his  lonely  way. 

From  that  time  the  Wappingers  ceased  to  have  a  name  in  his- 
tory. A  few  scattered  remnants  still  remained,  and  as  late  as 
1811,  a  small  band  had  their  dwelling  place  on  a  low  tract  of 
land  by  the  side  of  a  brook,  under  a  high  hill,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  town  of  Kent,'  but  all  that  remained  of  them  have 
long  since  passed  away,  and  the  place  that  knew  them  once  will 
know  them  no  more  forever. 

A  person  who  stands  on  the  high  land  in  Carmel,  south  of 
Lake  Gfleneida,  sees  far  to  the  northwest,  three  lofty  mountains 
that  tower  above  all  the  country  round.  To  the  middle  peak, 
which  is  the  highest,  we  have  given  the  name  of  the  last  Sachem 
of  the  tribe  that  once  ruled  all  the  lands  that  can  be  seen  from 
its  highest  summit:  and  we  trust  that  in  honor  of  his  valor,  and 
of  the  faith  sealed  with  his  blood,  on  the  field  where  he  fought 
for  the  liberty  of  America,  it  will  bear  to  all  future  time  the 
name  of  Mount  Nimham. 

'The  site  of  this  village  is  on  the  farm  of  Isaiah  Booth,  about  half  a  mile  south 
of  the  Putnam  county  road,  near  the  west  line  of  Lot  5. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CONFISCATION  AND  SALE   OF   THE   SHARES   OF   THE    PATENT 
BELONGING  TO  SUSANNAH  ROBINSON  AND  MARY  PHILIPSE. 

SEVERAL  years  previous  to  the  death  of  her  father,  Susan- 
nah Philipse  was  united  in  marriage  to  Col.  Beverly- 
Robinson,  and  the  mansion  built  by  him  and  still  standing  on 
the  shores  of  the  Hudson  has  ever  been  an  object  of  interest 
and  curiosity,  as  associated  with  one  of  the  most  important 
episodes  in  the  history  of  Putnam  county.  Her  sister,  Mary 
Philipse,  if  any  reliance  can  be  placed  upon  the  testimony  of 
tradition  and  the  description  of  her  contemporaries,  must  have 
been  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  fascinating  women  of  her 
time,  and  numbered  among  her  worshiping  adorers  no  less  a 
personage  than  the  illustrious  Washington.  Her  heart  and  hand 
were  at  length  won  by  Col.  Roger  Morris,  a  gentleman  of  ex- 
cellent family,  and  who  as  an  aide  to  the  ill-fated  Braddock  had 
distinguished  himself,  and  was  among  the  wounded  in  the  bat- 
tle of  the  Monongahela.  Previous  to  their  marriage  an  ante 
nuptial  contract  was  executed,  and  her  extensive  landed  estate 
was  provided  for  by  the  following  Instrument: 

"This  Indenture  made  the  fourteenth  day  of  January  in  the 
thirty  first  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  Q-eorge  the 
Second  by  ihe  Grrace  of  God  of  Great  Britain  Prance  and  Ire- 
land King  Defender  of  the  flfaith,  &c.  and  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  eight.  Between 
Mary  Philipse  of  the  first  part  Major  Roger  Morris  of  the  sec- 
ond part  and  Johanna  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robinson  of  the 
third  part  Witnesseth  that  in  consideration  of  a  Marriage  in- 
tended to  be  had  and  solemnized  between  the  said  Roger  Mor- 
ris and  Mary  Philipse  and  the  Settlement  herein  after  made  by 
the  said  Roger  Morris  on  the  said  Mary  Philipse,  and  for  and 
in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  five  shillings  Current  Money  of 


88  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

the  Province  of  New  York  by  the  said  Johanna  Philipse  and 
Beverly  Robinson  to  her  the  said  Mary  Philipse  at  or  before 
the  ensealing  and  Delivery  of  these  Presents  well  and  Truly 
paid,  the  Receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged,  and  for  di- 
vers   other    Good  Causes    and  Considerations  her  thereunto 
moving,  She  the  said  Mary  F'hilipse  Hath  Granted  Bargained 
Sold  Released  and  Confirmed  and  by  these  Presents  Doth  Grant 
Bargain   Sell  Release  and  Confirme  unto  the  said   Johanna 
Philipse  and  Beverly  Robinson  (in  their  actual  possession  now 
being  by  virtue  of  a  Bargain  and  Sale  to  them  thereof  made  for 
one  whole  Year,  by  Indenture  bearing  date  the  Day  next  be 
fore  the  day  of  the  Date  of  these  Presents  and  by  force  of  the 
Statute  for  Transferring  of  uses  into  possession)  and  to  their 
Heirs  All  those  Severall  Letts  or  Parcels  of  Land  known  by  the 
Severall  names  of  Lot  Number  Three,  Number  Five,  and  Num- 
ber Nine,  and  one  third  part  of  the  Meadow  Land  lying  in  Lot 
Number  Two  which  Lotts  Nuriiber  Three  Five'  Nine  and  two  are 
part  of  a  Certain  Tract  or  Parcel  of  Land  Granted  unto  Adolph 
Philipse  since  Deceased  by  his  Late  Majesty  King  William  the 
third  by  his  Letters  Patent  under  the  Great  Seal  of  the  Province 
of  New  York  bearing  Date  the  Seventeenth  day  of  June  in  the 
Year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  six  h^^ndred  and  ninety  seven, 
scituate  lying  and  being  in  Dutchess  County  in  the  high  lands 
on  the  East  side  of  Hudsons  River  and  are  Butted  and  Bounded 
as  follows  to  wit.  Lot  Number  three  beginning  at  two  hemlock 
bushes  Standing  in  a  Gully  between  Bull  and  break  neck  hills 
on  the  East  side  of  Hudsons  River  and   from  thence  running 
North  seventy  seven  Degrees  East  three  hundred  and  eighty-six 
chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  and  walnut  bush  marked  P.  R.  1753 
Standing  in  the  West  Line  of  Lot  Number  four  and  is  also  the 
North  East  Corner  of  Lot  Number  two,  then  North  ten  degrees 
East  two  hundred  and  twenty  eight  chains  to  a  heap  of  Stones 
thirty  Links  North  of  a  White  Oak  Tree  marked  P.  1753  being 
the  Northwest  Corner  of  Lot  Number  four,  then  South  eighty 
seven  degrees   West  four   hundred  and  eight   chains  to    the 
Mouth  of  the  Fish  kill  from  thence  down  the  Several  Courses 
of  Hudsons  River  to  the  Beginning  including  PoUaples  Island, 
containing  about  Eight  thousand  six  hundred  Acres.  Lot  Num- 
ber Five  beginning  at  a  heap  of  stones  in  the  Line  of  the  Man- 
nor  of  Courtlandt  at  the  South   East  Corner  of  Lot  Number 
Four,  then  North  ten  degrees  East  nine  hundred  and  forty  seven 


GENEKAL   HISTORY.  89 

chains  to  a  heap  of  Stones  at  the  North  East  Corner  of  Lot 
four,  then  North  eighty  seven  degrees  East  three  hundred  and 
forty  four  chains  to  a  heap  of  Stones  which  is  the  North  West 
Corner  of  Lot  Ntimber  six,  then  South  ten  Degrees  West  along 
the  Line  of  Lot  Number  six  Nine  hundred  and  sixty  Chains  to 
a  heap  of  Stones  on  the  Line  of  the  Manner  of  Courtlandt  at 
the  South  West  Corner  of  Lot  Number  six,  then  West  along 
the  Line  of  the  Manner  of  Courtlandt  three  hundred  and  forty 
Chains  to  the  Beginning  Containing  about  thirty  one  thousand 
two  hundred  Acres.  Lot  Number  Nine  Beginning  at  a  hemlock 
Tree  standing  on  the  South  side  of  the  East  branch  of  Croton 
River  and  a  heap  of  Stones  on  the  North  side  which  is  also  the 
Sonth  East  Corner  of  Lot  Number  six  in  the  Line  of  the  Man- 
ner of  Courtlandt  from  thence  running  North  ten  degrees  East 
three  hundred  and  thirty  three  Chains  to  a  heap  of  Stones  and 
a  walnut  Tree  markt  P.  R.  1753  en  the  South  side  of  the  hill 
near  an  eld  meeting  house  in  the  Line  of  Lot  Namber  six, 
being  the  south  west  corner  of  Lot  number  eight  then  east 
along  the  line  of  Lot  Number  Eight  three  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  Chains  to  a  Chesnut  bush  markt  P.  R.  1753  Stand- 
ing in  the  oblong  Line  on  the  West  side  of  a  Rocky  hill  which 
is  the  South  East  Corner  of  Lot  Number  eight,  then  Southerly 
as  the  Oblong  line  runs  three  hundred  and  thirty  three  Chains 
to  the  North  East  Corner  of  the  Manner  of  Courtlandt  in  Peach 
Pond,  then  West  along  the  said  Manner  of  Courtlandt  three 
hundred  and  thirty  six  Chains  to  the  Beginning,  Containing 
about  Eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty  Acres  and  the 
one  third  part  of  the  Meadow  Land  lying  in  Let  Number  Two 
Beginning  five  chains  from  tlie  upland  upon  Danfords  Creek, 
and  running  to  Crooked  Creek  five  Chains  from  the  upland  then 
down  Crooked  Creek  to  the  Meadow  belonging  to  lot  number 
one,  then  North  West  to  Mar  tiers  Rock,  then  along  the  upland 
the  North  side  of  little  Island  in  the  Meadow  to-  the  Mouth  of 
Danfords  Creek  then  up  the  said  Creek  to  the  Beginning  Con- 
taining about  Eighty  two  Acres.  And  also  All  and  Singular  the 
Lands  Tenements  Hereditaments  and  real  Estate  whatsoever  and 
wheresoever  of  her  the  said  Mary  Philipse.  And  also  all  the 
Estate  Right  Title  Interest  Possession  Claim  and  Demand  what- 
soever of  her  the  said  Mary  Philipse  of  in  and  to  all  and  Singu- 
lar the  said  Letts  or  Parcels  of  land  above  mentioned  and  De- 
scribed and  all  and  Singular  her  other  Lands  Tenements  Hered- 


90  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

itaments  and  real  Estate  whatsoever  or  any  part  or  parcel 
thereof  with  the  appurtenances  To  have  and  to  hold  all  and 
Singular  the  said,  several  Lots  of  land  herein  before  mentioned 
or  intended  to  be  hereby  Released  and  all  and  Singular  other 
the  Lands  Tenements  Hereditaments  and  Real  Estate  whatso- 
ever of  her  the  said  Mary  Philipsewith  their  and  every  of  their 
members  and  appurtenances  unto  the  said  Johanna  Philipse  and 
Beverly  Robinson  and  their  Heirs  To  and  for  the  several  uses 
intents  and  purposes  herein  after  declared  expressed,  limited, 
and  appointed  and  to  and  for  no  other  use  intent  and  purpose 
whatsoever,  that  is  to  say,  to  and  for  the  use  and  behoof  of 
them  the  said  Johanna  Philipse  &  Beverly  Robinson  and  their 
Heirs  until  the  solemnization  of  the  said  Intended  Marriage, 
and  from  and  immediately  after  the  solemnization  of  the  said 
Intended  Marriage  then  to  the  use  and  behoof  of  the  said 
Mary  Philipse  and  Roger  Morris  and  the  Survivor  of  them  for 
and  during  the  Term  of  their  natural  lives  without  Impeach- 
ment of  Waste,  and  from  and  after  the  determination  of  that 
Estate  then  to  the  use  and  behoof  of  such  child  or  children  as 
shall  or  maybe  procreated  between  them,  and  to  his  her  or  their 
Heirs  and  Assigns  forever,  but  in  case  the  said  Roger  Morris 
and  Mary  Philipse  shall  have  no  child  or  children  begotten  be  • 
tween  them,  or  that  such  child  or  children  shall  happen  to  die 
during  the  life  time  of  the  said  Roger  and  Mary  and  the  said 
Mary  should  survive  the  said  Roger  without  issue,  then  to  the 
use  &  behoof  of  her  the  said  Mary  Philipse  and  her  Heirs  and 
Assigns  forever,  and  in  case  the  said  Roger  Morris  should  sur- 
vive the  said  Mary  Philipse  without  any  issue  by  her  or  tliat 
such  issue  is  then  dead  without  leaving  issue  then  after  the  de- 
cease of  the  said  Roger  Morris  to  the  only  use  and  behoof  of 
such  Person  or  Persons  and  in  such  manner  and  form  as  she  the 
said  Mary  Philipse  shall  at  any  time  during  the  said  intended 
Marriage  devise  the  same  by  her  Last  Will  and  Testament  for 
that  purpose,  which  last  Will  and  Testament  it  is  hereby  agreed 
by  all  the  parties  of  these  Presents  that  it  shall  be  lawful  for 
her  at  any  time  during  the  said  Marriage  to  make  publish 
and  declare,  the  said  Marriage  or  any  thing  herein  (iontained  to 
the  Contrary  thereof  in  any  wise  notwithstanding.  Provided 
Nevertheless  and  it  is  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  the 
Parties  to  these  Presents  that  it  shall  and  may  be  Lawful  to 
and  for  the  said  Roger  Morris  and  Mary  Philipse  jointly  at  any 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  91 

time  or  times  during  the  said  Marriage  to  Sell  and  Dispose  of 
any  part  of  the  said  Several  Lots  or  Parcels  of  Land  or  of  any- 
other  her  Lands  Tenements  Hereditaments  and  real  Estate 
whatsoever  to  the  value  of  three  thousand  Pounds  Current 
Money  of  the  Province  of  New  York,  and  in  case  the  said  sum 
of  three  thousand  Pounds  be  not  raised  by  such  Sale  or  Sales 
during  their  joint  Lives  and  they  have  issue  between  them  that 
then  it  shall  be  Lawful  for  the  survivor  of  them  to  raise  the  said 
Sum  by  the  Sale  of  any  Part  of  the  said  Lands  or  such  deficien- 
cy thereof  as  shall  not  then  have  been  already  raised  there- 
out so  as  to  make  up  the  said  full  sum  of  three  thousand 
pounds  anything  hereinbefore  contained  to  the  contrary  there- 
of in  any  wise  notwithstanding.  And  the  said  Roger  Morris 
for  and  in  Consideration  of  the  premises  and  the  sum  of  five 
shillings  Current  Money  of  the  Province  of  New  York  to  him 
in  hand  paid  by  the  said  Johanna  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robin- 
son Doth  hereby  for  himself  his  Heirs,  Executors  and  Admin- 
istrators Covenant  Promise  Grant  and  agree  to  and  with  the 
said  Johanna  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robinson  their  and  each  of 
their  Heirs  Executors  and  Administrators  in  manner  and  form 
following  that  is  to  say,  that  in  case  the  said  Mary  Philipse 
shall  survive  him  the  said  Roger  Morris,  that  then  &  in  such 
case  immediately  after  his  Death  all  &  singular  the  Monies  and 
personal  Estate  whatsoever  he  shall  die  possessed  shall  be  ac- 
counted the  proper  monies  and  Estate  of  the  said  Mary  Philipse 
during  her  Natural  Life,  and  after  her  Decease  in  case  there  be 
no  issue  begotten  between  the  said  Roger  Morris  and  Mary 
Philipse  then  living  that  then  the  said  Monies  and  Personal 
Estate  shall  and  may  be  had  and  taken  by  the  Executors  and 
Administrators  of  the  said  Roger  Morris  these  Presents  or  any 
thing  herein  Contained  to  the  Contrary  thereof  in  any  wise  not- 
withstanding, but  if  such  Child  or  Children  shall  survive  the 
said  Roger  Morris  and  Mary  Philipse  then  the  said  monies  and 
estate  to  be  divided  among  them  in  such  Shares  and  Propor- 
tions as  he  the  said  Roger  Morris  shall  think  fit  at  any  time 
hereafter  by  his  Last  Will  and  Testament  or  otherwise  to  order 
and  direct. 

"  In  witness  whereof  all  the  parties  first  above  named 
have  to  these  Parts  hereof  all  of  the  same  Tenor 
and  Date  set  their  Hands  and  Seals  the  Date 
and  Year  first  above  written. 


92  history  of  putnam  county. 

"  Maey  Philipse.  (L.  S.) 

"Roger  Mokeis.  (L.  S.) 

"  Johanna  Philipse.  (L.  S.) 

"  Bev.  Robinson.  (L.  S.)" 

Recorded  in  Secretary  of  State's  office,  Albany,  Liber  20, 
p.  550. 

Five  days  after  the  execution  of  this  instrument,  on  the  19th 
of  January,  1758,  Col.  Morris  and  Mary  Philipse  were  married 
in  the  old  Manor  House  at  Yonkers,  with  all  the  pomp  and 
splendor  that  was  worthy  of  their  station  and  suited 
to  their  circumstances.  The  greater  portion  of  their  time  was 
passed  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  the  place  where  they 
lived  is  well  known  in  modern  times  as  the  famous  Jumel  man- 
sion, within  whose  walls  have  congregated  alike  the  noted  men 
of  the  early  days  of  the  republic  and  the  distinguished  char- 
acters of  more  recent  times.  At  the  time  of  the  commencement 
of  the  Revolution,  Col.  Morris  was  a  member  of  Council  for  the 
colony,  and  continued  in  office  till  the  close  of  the  war  and  the 
declaration  of  peace  put  a  final  end  to  British  rule  and  estab- 
lished a  new  nation.  As  a  more  extended  sketch  of  Col.  Robin- 
son and  Col.  Morris  will  be  found  in  another  jjlace,  it  is  suffic- 
ient to  state  that  both  were  among  the  most  prominent  of  the 
royalists,  who  throughout  the  war,  supported  the  efiforts  of  the 
British  government  to  crush  the  liberties  of  their  native  -land. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  can  not  be  surprising,  that  when 
the  final  triumph  came,  the  State  should  deem  unworthy  of  its 
protection  the  persons  and  the  property  of  those  who  had  ad- 
hered to  the  cause  of  the  enemies  of  its  freedom. 

It  was  in  accordance  with  this  view  that  an  act  of  attainder 
was  passed  confiscating  the  property  of  the  most  jorominent  of 
the  royalists,  and  banishing  them  from  the  State: 

"An  act  for  the  forfeiture  and  sale  of  the  estates  of  persons  who 
have  adhered  to  the  enemies  of  this  State,  etc.,  passed  Oc- 
tober 22d,  1779: 
"  Whereas,  during  the  present  unjust  and  cruel  war  waged 
by  the  King  of  Great  Britain  against  the  State  and  the  other 
United  States  of  America,  divers  persons  holding  or  claiming 
property  within  this  State,  have  voluntarily  been  adherent  to 
the  said  King,  his  fleets  and  armies,  enemies  to  this  State,  and 
the  said  other  United  States,  with  intent  to  subvert  the  govern- 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  93 

ment  and  liberties  of  this  State  and  the  said  other  United  States 
and  to  bring  the  same  in  subjection  to  the  Crown  of  Great 
Britain;  by  reason  whereof,  the  said  persons  having  severally 
justly  forfeited  all  right  to  the  protection  of  this  State,  and  to 
the  benefit  of  the  laws  under  which  such  property  is  held  or 
claimed:  And  whereas  the  public  justice  and  safety  of  this 
State  absolutely  require,  that  the  most  notorious  offenders 
should  be  immediately  hereby  convicted  and  attainted  of  the 
offence  aforesaid  in  order  to  work  a  forfeiture  of  their  respec- 
tive estates  and  vest  the  same  in  the  people  of  this  State. 

"  And  whereas  the  Constitution  of  this  State  hath  authorized 
the  Legislature  to  pass  acts  of  attainder  for  crimes  committed 
before  the  termination  of  the  present  war. 

"  Section  1.  Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  and  it  is 
hereby  enacted  by  the  authority  of  the  same,  that  William 
Tryon,  Esq.,  late  Governor  of  the  said  Colony,  *  *  Roger 
Morris,  *  *  Mary  Morris,  wife  of  said  Roger  Morris,  *  * 
Beverley  Robinson,  *  *  Susannah  Robinson,  wife  of  said 
Beverley  Robinson,  be,  and  each  of  them  are  hereby  severally 
declared  to  be  ipso  facto  convicted  and  attainted  of  the  offense 
aforesaid,  and  that  all  and  sipgular  the  estate,  both  real  and 
personal,  held  or  claimed  by  them  the  said  persons  severally 
and  respectively,  whether  in  possession,  reversion  or  remainder, 
within  this  State,  on  the  date  .  of  the  passage  of  the  act,  shall 
be,  and  hereby  is  declared  to  be  forfeited  to,  and  vested  in,  the 
people  of  this  State." 

Sj  the  provisions  of  this  act  John  Hathorn,  Samuel  Dodge 
and  Daniel  Graham  were  appointed  commissioners  to  sell  con- 
fiscated and  forfeited  estates.  Under  the  power  given  to  them 
by  this  act,  they  proceeded  to  the  sale.  In  a  large  number  of 
cases,  in  fact  a  majority,  the  lands  were  sold  to  the  parties  who 
were  already  in  possession  of  the  various  farms,  as  tenants  of 
Beverly  Robinson  and  Roger  Morris,  by  the  right  of  their 
respective  wives.  On  the  12th  day  of  May,  1781,  another  act 
was  passed  "  for  the  speedy  sale  of  confiscated  and  forfeited 
estates  and  for  other  purposes."  By  this  act,  Daniel  Graham, 
one  of  the  former  commissioners,  was  ajjpointed  a  sole  commis- 
sioner for  sales  in  the  middle  district.  He  employed  Henry 
Dodge,  Esq.,  of  Poughkeepsie,  as  surveyor  to  assist  in  the 
work,  who  stated  at  a  later  date  that  "he  was  a  long  time  em- 


94  HISTOKY    OP   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

ployed  and  formed  a  field  book  of  at  least  a  quire  of  paper, 
completely  filled  with  descriptions  of  the  parcels  <iisposed  of  by 
Mr.  Graham." 

This  field  book  and  every  trace  of  the  proceedings  of  Mr. 
Graham  as  sole  commissioner  were  lost  and  have  never  been 
found. 

The  Legislature,  in  1819,  passed  a  concurrent  resolution:  "  Re- 
solved that  the  Surveyor  General  cause  to  be  surveyed  and  as- 
certained the  lands  forfeited  to  the  people  of  this  State  by  the 
attainder  of  Robert  Morris  and  Mary  his  wife  situated  in  the 
former  County  of  Dutchess  and  now  in  the  Counties  of  Dutch- 
ess and  Putnam,  claimed  by  John  Jacob  Astor  and  others,  and 
that  he  also  ascertain  whether  any  and  which  of  the  said  lands 
so  forfeited  and  claimed  remains  unsold  by  or  under  the  author, 
ity  of  this  State,  and  that  he  report  thereon  to  the  Legislature 
at  their  next  Session." 

In  accordance  with  this  the  surveyor  general  appointed  Henry 
Livingston  his  agent  to  obtain  the  requisite  information.  He 
engaged  as  surveyors  Mr.  James  Dodge,  of  Poughkeepsie,  and 
Mr.  Samuel  Thurston,  of  Clinton,  and  they  with  six  assistants 
met  on  Lot  No.  3,  on  the  2d  of  August,  1819,  and  finished  their 
surveys  on  the  16  th.  The  report  which  he  made  to  the  surveyor 
general  conveys  a  very  extended  information  on  the  subject,  and 
states,  "I  caused  the  exterior  limits  of  Lots  3-5-9  with  every 
open  highway  and  all  the  ponds  to  be  carefully  surveyed  and 
the  maps  designated  every  house  and  the  name  of  its  occupant." 
The  sales  made  by  the  three  commissionei"s  first  named  were  en- 
tered in  a  book  in  abstract.  The  abstract  gives  the  name  of  the 
purchaser,  the  price  paid,  the  date,  the  name  of  the  person  by 
whose  attainder  it  became  forfeited,  and  a  full  description  of 
the  land  by  the  courses  and  distances  of  survey.  This  book  is 
Liber  8,  of  the  Record  of  Deeds,  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of 
Dutchess  county.  The  first  page,  which  is  mutilated  by  having 
about  one-third  torn  off,  contains  a  formal  deed  to  one  David 
Collins.     On  the  last  page  of  the  book  is  the  following: 

"  The  foregoing  is  a  true  abstract  of  the  sales  of  forfeited 
estates  made  by  us  the  subscribers  Commissioners  of  Forfeiture 
for  the  Middle  District,  in  the  County  of  Dutchess,  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  pursuant  to  the  directions  of  sundry  laws,  of 
the  said  State  in  that  case  made  and  provided." 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  95 

"New  York  30th  August  1788. 

"  John  Hathorn,  |  Commissioners  of 
"  Saml.  Dodge,  >  Forfeiture  for  the 
"  Danl.  Q-eaham,  )  Middle  District." 

The  following  list  is  taken  from  the  report  of  Henry  Living- 
ston to  the  surveyor  general.  It  seems  that  formal  deeds  were 
given  to  the  various  purchasers,  many  of  which  have  been  put 
on  record  in  the  offices  of  the  clerks  of  both  Putnam  and  Dutch- 
ess counties,  and  abstracts  alone  were  entered  as  stated,  in  Liber 
8  of  Deeds. 

"  Sales  of  land  in  Lot  No.  5,  of  Philipse  Patent,  belonging  to 
Roger  Morris  and  his  wife  Mary:— Wm.  Smith  land  near  Red 
Mills,  3i  acres;  Wm.  Smith  The  Red  Mills  including  the  large 
Island,  188,  172,  71,  314;  John  Drake,  262;  Abraham  Hyatt,  70; 
Joseph  Gregory,  279;  John  Crane,  164;  John  Berry,  50;  Joshua 
Horton,  262;  Jehiel  Bouton,  189;  Isaac  Pierce,  126;  James 
Cock  (small  island),  6;  Jo^iah  Faulkner,  43;  John  Avery,  159; 
John  De  Clare,  89;  Charles  F.  Weisenfels,  137;  John  Berry  and 
John  McLean,  141;  John  Oakley,  111;  Joseph  and  Daniel  Cole, 
230;  John  Dearman,  72;  David  Smith,  318;  Nathaniel  Nott,  98; 
Ebenezer  Cole,  36;  Isaac  Requa,  130;  Isaac  Lounsberry,  202; 
Jonathan  Stokum,  97;  Charles  Agor,  94;  Isaac  Rhodes,  221; 
Hannah  Brewer,  89;  Thomas  Bryant,  129;  Isaac  Rhodes,  221; 
Hannah  Brewer,  89;  Elisha  Cole,  117,  396;  Isaac  Barrett,  121; 
Isaac  Austin,  92;  Nathan  Lane,  278;  John  Smith,  70;  John 
O'Brien,  210;  Ebenezer  Boyd,  71,  98,  8,  157;  David  Frost,  168; 
John  Booth,  128;  Thomas  Horton,  160;  Abraham  Mabie,  187; 
Joseph  Farrington,  141;  Josiah  Farrington,  310;  Justus  Berrit, 
130;  Joseph  Ogden,  34;  John  Russell,  39;  Samuel  Hunt,  117. 
James  Townsend,  352;  Wm.  Haddon,  138;  Jeremiah  Sprague, 
98;  Amy  Haight,  96;  Ebenezer  Boyd,  461,  110,  220,  400;  Isaac 
Rhodes,  32;  Peter  Badeau,  217;  Jabez  Berry,  188;  Peter  Mabie, 
105;  Peter  Mabie,  68;  Peleg  and  Shubael  Wixom,  193;  Israel 
Pinckney,  144;  Comfort  Chadwick,  68;  Abner  Doty,  90;  James 
Cock,  131;  Wm.  Hitchcock,  178;  Peter  Banker,  149;  JohnGean, 
194;  John  Crane  and  others,  360;  Charles  Serrine,  198;  Joseph 
Gregory,  130;  John  Merritt,  94;  Tho.  &  Zebedee  Kirkland,  336; 
James  Serrine,  ]11;  Charles  Heroy,  112;  John  Adams,  90; 
Robert  Hughson,  363;  Daniel  Knapp,  162;  Robert  Russell,  62; 
John  Secor,  124;  Isaac  Secor,  124;  Moses  Knapp,  230;  Timothy 
Carver,  355;  Abigail  Clark,  132;  Ebenezer  Lockwood,  144;  Isaac 


96  HISTOEY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Badeau,  94;  John  Requa,  132;  Isaac  Hopkins,  13;  Israel  Knapp, 
120;  Solomon  Hopkins,  341;  Benj.  Knapp,  127;  Wm.  Hitch- 
cock, 26;  Solomon  Hopkins,  220,  82;  Samuel  Ballard,  54;  Wm. 
Ballard,  93;  Isaac  Drew,  187;  Comfort  Chad  wick,  117;  James 
Smalley,  232;  Moses  Mead,  256;  Samuel  Hawkins,  100;  John 
Post,  81;  Johnston  Deakin,  230;  Joseph  Farrington,  160 
Robert  Fuller,  ;  Peter.  Anderson,   250;   John   Beyea,    132 

Thomas  Russell,  166;  Wm.  Goodfellow,  66;  John  Russell,  39 
Samuel  Morger,  211;  Jesse  Hunt,  163;  Wm.  Falconer  (island),  1. 

"Sales  in  Lot.  No.  9:  Ebenezer  Philipse,  162;  Ezra  Gregory, 
106;    Jonathan   Brown,    351;    Jonathan   Crane,    12.";    Edmond 
Mead,  218;    Charles  Graham,  316;   Philip  Leek,   129;    Moody 
Howes,  259;  James  Sackett,   138;    Isaac   Townsend,    156;  Seth 
Paddock,  293;  Nathan  Green,  269;  Thomas  Lowrie,   119;  Silas 
Paddock,   174;  John  Gove,   237;  Timothy  Delavan,  106;  Benj. 
and  Enoch  Crosby,  276,  103;  Stephen  Field,  405;  Maurice  Smith, 
206;  Nathaniel  Delavan,  228;  Ezra  Richards,  187;  Jacob  Ellis, 
146;  Peleg  Bailey,  123;  Wm.  Yeomans,   122;  John  Crab,  143 
Joseph  Haskins,  174;  John  Gannung,  178;  Gilbert  Haight,  48 
Wm.  Field,  100;  Billy  Trowbridge,  287,;  Samuel  Delevan,  112 
James  Dunn,   30;  Abel  Van  Scoy,   120;  Jacob   Van  Scoy,  88 
John   Davis,    116;    Sylvanus  Covert,    49;    Gilbert  Haight,    64 
Mahar    Nelson,   132;  Wm.   Higby,   128;  Henry  Charlick,  383 
Ichabod  Marvin,  74;  Thomas  Adams,  270;  Thomas  Russells,  166 
Richard  Williams,    109;    Joseph  Randall,   221;  Samuel  Carle, 
270;  Frederick  Pickney,  29;  Wm.   Lovelace,  107;  Moses  Rich- 
ards,  177;  Mary  Haines,   301;  John  Piatt,  100;  Edmond  Rice, 
284;  David  Paddock,  304;  Hannah  Nickerson,   229;  Nehemiah 
Wood,   147;    John  Field,  354;    Uriah   Wallace,   69;    Jeremiah 
Mead,  111;  David  Cowen,  92;  John  Townsend,  100;  John  Dan, 
99;  Isaac  Paddock,  153;  Moses  Gage,   97;  John  Dickinson  and 
David  Bull,  17;  John  Dickinson,  210;  Heman  King,  284;  Michael 
Piatt,   167;    Solomon  Field,   267;    Caleb  Palmer,   75;  Consider 
Carman,  180;  Samuel  Hawkins,  27;  Richard  Ayres,  200;  Robert 
Shaw,  190;  Abel  Van  Scoy,  76;  Samuel  Jones,  194;  David  Por- 
ter,  190;    Jacob  Kniffen,  260;  Zacheus  Newcomb,   165;  Henry 
Charlick,  171;  Daniel  Hunt,  8;  Ichabod  Marvin,  100. 

"  Sales  made  in  Lot  3  of  Roger  Morris:  Jonathan  Pine,  240; 
Maurice  Smith,  142;  John  Haight,  256;  AVm.  Wright,  125;  Cor- 
nelius Adriance,  21|;  Joseph  Huestis,  296;  Benjamin  Bloomer, 
460f ;  Gilbert  Bloomer,  298f ;  John  Barton,  108i;  Charity  Hues- 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  '        97 

tis,   219;   Peter  Dubois,   293^;  Martin  Willsie,  4  parcels,  528^ 
John  Van  Amburg,  346f ;  Judith  Crownell,  153;  Gilbert  Weeks 
285;  Israel  Knapp,  168;  Isaac  Springer,  60;  Philip  Pelton,  49 
Jonathan  Miller,  106;  Titus  Travis,   118;  Jedediah  Frost,  143 
Richard  Christian,   331;  John  Budd,  200;  James  Langdon,  82 
David  Hanion,   200;  Paul  Sparling.   54;  Gilbert  Bloomer,  187 
Nathaniel  Anderson,  266;  Daniel  Ter'  Bos,  three  parcels,  1497 
Benj.  Bloomer,  430;  John  Haight  and  John  Nelson,  371^;  Israel 
Knapp,  354;  Cornelius  Adriance,  27;  Squire  Baker,  30;  Andrew 
Hill,  385;  Paul  Sparling,  54.     Total  No.  of  acres  sold  in  Lots 
3-5-9,  39100." 

Previous  to  the  Revolution,  Roger  Morris  and  his  wife  sold 
to  Ebenezer  Boyd  and  William  Hill,  600  acres  in  Lot  No.  5. 
The  marsh  or  meadow  between  Constitution  Island  and  Lot  2 
was  divided  as  stated  before,  and  the  north  part  fell  to  Mary 
Morris.  From  this  share  the  commissioners  sold  parcels  to 
Martin  Wilsie,  Solomon  Cornell,  Charity  Huestis,  Matthew 
Snook  and  Justus  Nelson,  amounting  to  55^  acres.  Mr.  Livings- 
ton reported  as  follows: 

"Population  of  Lot  No.  3,  seventy-five  houses  containing 

as  many  families,  reckoning  six  to  a  family,     .         .         450 

' '  On  Lot  5  three  hundred  and  twenty  families,  reckoning 

six  to  a  family,     .  1,920 

"  On  Lot  9  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  families,  reckon- 
ing six  to  a  family, 774 


"Total,  3,144 

'•  From  my  own  observation  and  that  of  others  I  deem  that 
4,600  acres  are  under  cultivation  in  Lot  No.  3. 

"  On  Lot  No.  5  14,939  acres  under  cultivation. 

"On  Lot  No.  9  7,348  acres  inclosed  and  improved. 

"Total  acres  improved  26,887." 

"Uncultivated  and  unimproved  23,962,  in  all  50,849  acres. 

"  The  assessors  of  the  towns  of  Kent  and  Carmel,  furnished 
their  returns,  of  such  part  of  their  respective  towns  as  were 
embraced  in  Lots  5  and  9: 

"The  valuation  of  real  estate,  in  that  part  of  Lot  5 

which  lies  in  the  town  of  Kent  is,        .         .        §81,981.00 

"  In  the  town  of  Carmel, 234,230.00 

"  Total  Assessors  valuation  of  Lot  5,  .         .         316,211.00 

7 


98  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"Assessors  valuation  of  real  estate  on  Lot  9,  in 

town  of  South  East, 250,394.00 

"  I  could  not  procure  the  assessors  returns  of  Lot 
No.  3  in  Philip  and  Fishkill  Towns  but  from 
good  information  state  it,       .        .        .        .        81,022.00 

Total  of  Lots  3-5-9,  $647,627.00." 

Mr.  Livingston  adds  the  following  observations  which  are 
interesting  as  showing  the  conditions  of  this  part  of  the  county 
eighty  years  ago: 

"Lot  No.  3,  contains  9,200  acres,  of  these  2,000  are  feasible 
and  well  improved.  Hardly  equal  however  to  some  parts  of 
Lot  5  which  lie  in  Carmel  and  various  parcels  on  Lot  No.  9. 
Three  thousand  more  may  be  equal  to  the  better  parts  of  Lot 
No.  5  lying  in  Kent  and  the  middling  qualities  of  the  same  Lot 
in  Carmel.  The  residue  of  this  Lot  is  mountainous  some  alto- 
gether inaccessible,  the  buildings  are  erected  upon  a  humble 
scale,  all  wood.  Perhaps  one- third  of  the  field  enclosures  are 
stone.  It  is  perfectly  well  watered  by  springs  and  rivulets.  The 
farmers  all  reside  at  inconsiderable  distances  from  either  Fish- 
kill  or  Cold  Springs  landings.  This  adds  value  to  their  several 
estates." 

"Lot  No.  5. 

"The  northern  part  of  this  Lot  and  that  which  lies  in  the 
town  of  Kent  is  mountainous  and  Rocky.  Some  of  the  valleys 
are  excellent  meadows  and  where  the  soil  can  be  come  at 
is  good.  But  these  estimable  portions  bear  but  a  small  propor- 
tion to  the  more  rugged  parts.  The  Southern  division  of  this 
tract  and  which  is  the  town  of  Carmel  is  hilly  but  cannot  be 
deemed  mountainous.  Here  extensive  and  excellent  meadows 
every  where  meet  the  eye,  and  tillage  is  well  attended  to.  The 
soil  however  is  generally  stony,  very  little  wheat  is  grown  on 
this  Lot.  Rye  forms  the  bread  of  a  very  large  majority.  Their 
exports  are  rye  Indian  corn  buckwheat  beef  pork  butter  and 
cheese.  The  whole  of  this  Lot  is  well  watered  by  ponds  and 
small  streams.  Mahopac  is  a  beautiful  pond,  has  several  islands 
and  contains  659  acres  of  water.  This  and  nine  other  ponds 
embelish  this  County.  These  waters  all  abound  in  fish.  The 
northern  section  of  this  Lot  can  pass  to  the  Cold  Spring  landing 
on  an  excellent  turnpike  road,  but  the  middle  and  southern  di- 
visions choose  the  port  of  Peekskill.    The  buildings  on  this  Lot 


GENERAL   HISTOET.  99 

are  generally  below  mediocrity.     Many  however  are  comfort- 
able.    The  day  for  elegance  has  not  arrived.'''' 

"Lot  No.  9. 

"Is  so  very  like  the  south  part  of  Lot  5  that  a  description 
of  the  one  is  a  portrait  of  the  other.  This  tract  is  not 
really  mountainous  but  yet  is  very  near  it.  The  soil  is  good  but 
stony.  Croton  river  enters  near  its  northwest  and  leaves  at  its 
Southeast  angle.  Ponds  also  beautify  this  tract  and  small 
streams  abound.  More  than  half  the  field  enclosures  in  this 
Lot  as  well  as  Lot  6  are  composed  of  stone.  A  turnpike  road 
passes  through  this  Lot  from  the  north  east  to  the  south  east 
corner,  ending  at  Sing  Sing." 

Sales  by  the  Commissioners  of  Forfeitures  of  the  Lands  of 
Beverly  Robinson  and  wife.  Sales  in  Lot  No.  4: — Squire  Baker, 
116  acres;  Joshua  Tompkins,  112;  Nathaniel  Jagger,  87;  Titus 
Travis,  118;  John  Russell,  101;  Josiah  Ingersoll,  30;  John  Clin- 
ton, 110;  Wm.  White,  179^;  Philip  Pelton  and  Joshua  Myrick, 
500,  500,  178;  Gilbert  Oakley,  130;  Richard  Denny,  114i;  Na- 
thaniel Tompkins,  219;  John  Hyatt  and  Isaac  Penier,  232;  Rich- 
ard Slatterly,  320^;  John  Likely,  96|;  Wm.  Colegrove,  187; 
John  Hyatt,  316;  Comfort  Luddington,  15;  Elijah  Oakley,  264; 
Caleb  Frisbee,  99;  John  Denny,  106;  Cornelius  Tompkins,  240; 
Daniel  Bugbee,  220;  Anthony  Field,  500;  Richard  Denny,  80^; 
Samuel  Cromwell,  239;  Titus  Travis,  127^;  Jonathan  Miller,  106i; 
Jedediah  Frost,  143;  Gabriel  Acker,  ]72;  Philip  Steinback,  122i; 
Peter  Rickey,  287;  Thomas  Hill,  370;  Richard  Christian,  331i; 
Wm.  Crawford,  281;  Reuben  Tompkins,  21 7i;  Daniel  Delavan, 
370;  Hyatt  Lane,  203;  Richard  Denny,  129i;  John  Hyatt  and 
Isaac  Penier,  461^,  480^;  John  Budd,  200;  James  Langdon,  82; 
Wm.  Smith,  188;  Nathan  Lane,  278;  Ebenezer  Boyd,  192;  Sam- 
uel Drake,  51,  74;  Joseph  Paine,  117;  John  Hoyt,  154;  Robert 
Oakley,  221J;  Gilbert  Lockwood,  137;  Jesse  Owen,  188;  Zeph- 
aniah  Piatt  and  John  Bailey,  495,  500;  Jacobus  Swarthout,  110 
Mary  Conklin,  370;  Comfort  Luddington,  15;  Caleb  Frisbee,  99 
Henry  Kiers,  147;  John  Brinkerhoff,  250;  James  Sherwood,  160 
Isaac  Springer,  50;  Jonathan  Price,  240;  Thomas  Lewis,  207 
John  Yeomans,  134;  John  Christian,  259;  John  Shouck,  280 
John  Weeks,  425;  Thomas  Bashford,  158;  Moses  Dusenbury, 
105;  Nathaniel  Jagger,  123;  Sibert  Cronk,  240;  Joshua  Tomp- 
kins, 185,  111,  37;  John  Campbell,  439;  Abraham  Baker,  438; 
Gilbert  Budd,  85;  Widow  Hester  Van  Tassel,  123f  Oliver  Odell, 


100  HISTORY    OP  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

172;  Matthew  McCabe,  193;  Daniel  Willsie,  130;  Ezekiel-  Gee^ 
200;  Samuel  Drake,  500;  Joshua  Drake,  500;  Solomon  Hopkine, 
260;  John  Horton,  140^;  James  Jacocks,  162;  Jonathan  Owens, 
272i,  312i;  Amos  Odell,  46^;  Henry  Post  and  Isaac  Odell,  227^; 
Thomas  Smith  and  Jacob  Reed,  1341-;  Joseph  Bard,  184;  Wm. 
Oakley,  129;  John  Hyatt  and  George  Lane,  465;  Jacobus  Swart- 
hout,  464;  Jacob  Griffin,  397;  Richard  Christian,  Jr.,  152f; 
John  McDonald,  112i;  George  Lowe,  239;  Wm.  Dusenburry, 
305i;  Peter  Barager,  213;  James  Perry,  150;  John  Smith,  165; 
John  Hyatt  and  Nathaniel  Hyatt,  457;  Joshua  Hyatt,  457;  Solo- 
mon Smith,  163;  Hannah  Knapp,  222^;  Abraham  Post,  252; 
Moses  Dusenburry,  115^;  John  Drake,  271;  Jesse  Owens,  82; 
Moses  Dusenburry,  217^. 

Sales  in  Lot  No.  7:  Elija  Oakley,  264  acres;  David  Hill,  160 
Joseph  Crawford,  85^;  Alexander  Kidd,  111;  David  Close,  159 
James  Hays,  252;  Ephraim  Warren,  128;  John  Newbury,  125 
David  Hecocks,  293;  Roswell  Wilcox,  161;  John  Burck,  130 
Peter  Coiley,  17;  Increase  Bennett,  4;  Anthony  Post,  98;  Na- 
thaniel Delavan,  465;  Caleb  Frisbee,  115;  Robert  Morris,  300; 
Wm.  Duer,  208;  John  Newbury,  60;  Anthony  Post,  28  poles;, 
John  Burch,  40  acres;  Abraham  St.  John,  200;  Jonathan  Burck, 
112;  James  Calkins,  48^;  Robert  Mooney,  146;  Benjamin  Bird- 
sail,  30i;  John  Healy,  208;  James  Pairley,  119;  Matthew  Pat- 
terson, 157;  Abraham  St.  John,  59;  Comfort  Sands,  187;  Nehe- 
miah  Stebbins,  329;  Benjamin  Birdsall,  173;  Henry  Luddington,. 
Samuel  Mills,  Billy  Trowbridge,  Benaijah  Beardsley,  338  and 
126;  Uriah  Wallace,  80;  Samuel  T.  Pell,  300;  Comfort  Ludding- 
ton, 200;  James  Philips,  113;  Jehiel  Weed,  170;  Daniel  Shaw, 
1|;  Samuel  Towner,  269;  Jedediah  Wyllys,  105;  Thomas  Mit- 
chell, 122;  Asa  Howes,  271;  Jedediah  Wyllys,  200;  Robert 
Morris,  194;  James  Corey,  85^;  David  Hecocks,  120;  Ephraim 
Jones,  119;  Comfort  Sands,  456;  Ezra  Gregory,  166;  James 
Rosekrans,  118;  Anthony  Post,  Matthew  Patterson,  Alexander 
Kidd,  399;  Wm.  B.  Alger,  250,  70. 

Lots. 

In  this  lot  there  was  sold  to  Philip  Pelton,  Benjamin  Pelton 
and  Daniel  Pelton,  159  acres,  being  in  two  parcels.  This  was 
land  formerly  sold  by  John  Ogilvie  and  Margaret  Ogilvie  to 
Edward  Price,  and  afterward  owned  by  Tertullus  Dickerson, 
by  whose  conviction  it  was  forfeited.     This  tract  or  a  part  of  it 


GENERAL   HISTOKY.  101 

now  belongs  to  Theodore  Kelly.  The  old  "  Burcham  Mills" 
stood  on  this  tract  before  the  Revolution. 

Sales  in  Lot  No.  1:  The  greater  part  of  this  lot  was  sold  to 
William  Denning,  a  wealthy  merchant  of  New  York.  The 
whole  of  the  western  part  of  the  lot  was  sold  to  him  by  Daniel 
Oraham,  the  surveyor  general  of  the  State,  as  commissioner  of 
forfeitures.  A  tract  adjoining  this  on  the  east  and  running  the 
whole  length  of  the  lot  was  also  sold  to  William  Denning  by 
Daniel  Graham,  May  3d,  1785.  These  two  deeds  include  all  the 
lot  except  a  comparatively  small  tract  in  the  southeast  corner. 
Of  this  a  tract  of  about  439  acres  was  sold  to  Major  John  Camp- 
bell. The  parsonage  farm  of  St.  Peters  Church  and  St.  Philips 
Chapel  embraced  about  200  acres,  and  lay  next  east  of  Major 
Campbell's,  and  was  given  to  the  church  by  the  State,  while  near 
the  southeast  corner  was  a  larger  tract  sold  to  John  Meeks. 
Jonathan  Owen  also  had  a  tract  of  about  580  acres,  which  lay 
at  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of  Lot  No.  1. 

Sales  in  the  Oblong:  By  the  attainder  of  Henry  Clinton, 
several  parcels  of  land  were  sold  in  the  Oblong.  The  following 
is  a  partial  list:  Isaac  Elwell,  41  acres;  Benjamin  Sears,  48,  82; 
Joseph  Crane,  Jr.,  25;  Mark  Gage,  75;  Elihu  Gage,  53,  71;  An- 
thony Gage,  112;  Nathaniel  Sinclair,  4;  Thomas  Higgins,  95^; 
John  Elwell,  15;  Joseph  Drake,  3;  John  Starr,  83^;  Wm.  Clin- 
ton, 29,  46;  Benjamin  Sears,  25. 

The  Oblong  was  not  a  part  of  the  Philipse  Patent.  Its  history 
will  be  found  in  a  succeeding  chapter. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


THE  GORE. 


THE  Gore  was  a  tract  of  land  to  the  north  of  the  Philipse 
Patent  and  was  for  many  years  a  source  of  dispute  ani 
litigation  between  the  Philipse  famijy  and  the  owners  of  the 
Rumbont  and  Beekman  Patents,  which  adjoined  them  on  the 
north.  The  vague  and  indefinite  manner  in  which  the  bounds 
of  early  land  grants  were  described  almost  invariably  led  to 
disputes  of  this  nature.  In  this  case  the  dispute  arose,  not 
from  uncertainty  as  to  the  bounds  of  the  Philipse  Patent,  but 
from  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  the  south  lines  of  the  Rum- 
bout  and  Beekman  Patents  were  described.  The  south  bounds 
of  the  Rumbout  Patent  are  thus  defined:  "  Also  from  the  said 
Fish  kill  or  creek  called  Mateawam,  along  the  said  Fish  kill 
into  the  woods  at  the  foot  of  the  High  Hills,  including  all  the 
reed  or  low  lands  at  the  south  side  of  said  creek,  with  an  easterly 
line  four  hours  going,  sixteen  English  miles." 

The  Beekman  Patent  was  described  as  "  Beginning  at  the 
north  side  of  the  Highlands,  at  the  east  of  the  lands  of  Col. 
Van  Cortlandt  and  Company  (that  is  the  Rumbout  Patent)  so 
far  as  the  line  between  the  Province  of  New  York  and  the  Colony 
of  Connecticut  extends." 

The  bounds  of  the  Philipse  Patent  were  described  as  beginning 
at  Anthony's  Nose,  which  was  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
patent,  and  running  north  along  the  Hudson  River  "until  it 
comes  to  the  Creek  River  or  Run  of  water  called  the  Great  Fish 
kill  to  the  northward  and  above  the  Highlands  which  is  like- 
wise the  southward  bounds  of  a  tract  of  land  belonging  to  Col. 
Stephanus  Cortlandt  and  Company  and  so  easterly  along  Col. 
Cortlandt' s  line  and  the  south  bounds  of  Col.  Henry  Beekman 
until  it  comes  twenty  miles  or  unto  the  Division  Line  between 
our  Colony  of  Connecticut  &c." 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  103 

The  PMlipse  family  claimed  that  by  the  terms  of  the  Rum- 
bout  Patent  the  Fishkill  Creek  was  its  south  boundary  and,  as 
the  Philipse  Patent  was  bounded  on  the  north  by  that  patent, 
it  followed  that  the  Fishkill  was  their  northern  boundary. 
Again  as  the  Beekman  Patent  was  said  to  be  "  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Highlands"  and  they  were  bounded  north  by  the  Beek- 
man Patent,  it  followed  that  they  owned  all  the  land  south  of 
the  north  line  of  the  mountains.  On  the  other  hand  the  pro- 
prietors of  both  the  Eumbout  and  Beekman  Patents  claimed 
that  the  north  line  of  the  Philipse  Patent  was  a  due  east  line 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Fishkill  and  that  their  southern  bound- 
aries extended  to  it. 

Among  the  PMlipse  papers  is  a  brief,  written  by  David  Og- 
den,  the  counsel  for  that  family,  which  states  in  a  few  words 
their  line  of  argument.  "  There  is  no  dispute  as  to  the  point 
of  beginning,  on  the  Southside  of  the  Fishkill.  "As  the  Rum- 
bout  Patent  was  all  that  tract  on  the  north  side  of  the  High- 
lands, no  part  of  the  Highlands  was  included  in  it."  "The 
words  along  the  Fishkill  intended  it  to  be  the  boundary,  as  much 
as  along  the  river."  "That  as  the  Wappingers  kill  with  the 
addition  of  500  rods,  was  the  north  boundary  of  the  Rumbout 
Patent,  so  the  Fishkill,  with  the  reed  or  low  lands,  was  the 
south  boundary."  "The  words  easterly  line  mean  the  same 
with  reference  to  the  Fishkill  that  northerly  does  to  Hudson 
River,  and  that  the  four  hours  going  should  be  measured  along 
the  Fishkill,  and  that  a  straight  line  measured  along  the  Fish- 
kill or  so  as  not  to  go  on  any  of  the  hills,  will  by  the  map  differ 
but  little."  "  That  a  line  running  east  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Fishkill  instead  of  being  on  the  north  of  the  Highlands,  in 
less  than  a  mile  runs  into  them  and  contimies  therein  the  whole 
16  miles." 

He  concludes  that  the  Fishkill  is  the  true  north  boundary  of 
the  Philipse  Patent  except  where  there  are  "reed  or  lowlands," 
and  all  such  belong  to  the  Rumbout  Patent.  After  a  long  con- 
troversy the  dispute  was  settled  January  26th,  1771.  At  that 
time  the  contest  was  between  Lawrence  Lawrence,  who  owned 
one- third  of  the  share  of  Jacobus  Kip  in  the  Rumbout  Patent, 
and  the  heirs  of  Frederick  Philipse,  The  matter  was  left  to  the 
decision  of  William  Nicoll  and  Thomas  Hicks.  They  decided 
that  "a  line  should  begin  at  the  northern  extent  of  the  bushes 
or  shrubs  upon  Plum  Point:  being  the  south  side  of  the  mouth 


104  HISTOKY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

of  the  Fishkill,  and  should  run  from  thence  East  6  degrees 
North,  as  the  Compass  now  points,  16  miles,  and  that  the  said 
line  shall  forever  hereafter  be  and  remain  the  boundary."  At 
the  Revolution  this  triangular  tract  was  owned  by  Beverly 
Robinson,  Roger  Morris  and  Philip  Philipse.  The  shares  of 
the  first  two  were  confiscated  and  by  a  law  passed  in  1784  the 
tract  was  divided  into  three  lots,  of  which  the  State  of  New 
York  had  two  and  the  heirs  of  Philip  Philipse  had  one.  The 
lot  of  the  Philipse  family  lay  next  to  the  east  line  of  the  Rum- 
bout  Patent  and  was  115  chains  wide  at  the  east  end,  the  course 
of  the  east  line  being  north  25  degrees  30  minutes  west.  This 
lot  is  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town  of  East  Fishkill.  From 
the  Philipse  papers  it  is  found  that  the  cost  of  their  claim  to 
this  Q-ore  was  £1,818,  12s. 

GORE   IN   BEEKMAW   PATENT. 

It  has  been  seen  that  the  owners  of  the  Philipse  Patent 
claimed  that  the  Beekman  Patent  lay  to  the  north  of  the  High- 
lands, and  consequently  covered  no  portion  of  the  mountains, 
while  the  Beekmans  with  equal  pertinacity  claimed  that  their 
south  boundary  should  be  a  line  running  due  east  from  the 
south  side  of  the  mouth  of  Fishkill.  The  controversy  lasted 
for  many  years  and  finally  was  settled,  like  that  concerning  the 
Rumbout  Gore,  by  a  compromise.  On  the  18th  of  January,1758, 
Beverly  Robinson,  Susannah  Robinson,  Philip  Philipse  and 
Mary  Philipse  on  the  one  part,  and  Henry  Beekman,  Catharine 
Pawling  and  Robert  Livingston  on  the  other  part,  mutually 
agreed,  "for  the  ending  of  all  disputes,"  that  a  line  should  be 
run  "from  Mateawara  or  the  mouth  of  Fishkill  as  the  Compass 
now  points  due  east  to  the  Oblong."  From  this  point  on  the  Ob- 
long a  line  was  to  be  run  northerly  along  the  Oblong  line,  200 
chains,  and  from  thence  "a  due  west  line  as  the  Compass  now 
points,"  to  the  rear  of  the  Rumbout  Patent,  and  this  last  line 
should  be  the  boundary  between  the  parties.  Samuel  Willis, 
of  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  was  employed  as  the  surveyor, 
and  the  north  line  is  thus  described: — "  Began  on  the  Oblong 
line  at  a  large  heap  of  stones  set  up  which  bears  N.  25  degrees 
west,  38  links  from  a  large  rock  on  which  are  cut  the  letters  H. 
B.  B.  R.  P.  P. ;  a  new  house  erected  by  Daniel  Chase  bears  the 
same  course  the  rock  does.  From  thence  due  west,  the  line 
runs  about  12  feet  south  of  Wm.    Hunt's  spring  or  fountain, 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  105 

where  Col.  Henry  Beekman  made  the  letters  H.  B.,  on  the  rock 
out  of  which  the  water  of  the  spring  runs.  Said  line  also  crosses 
a  pretty  large  pond  in  the  mountains,  a  little  south  of  the  mid- 
dle. On  the  east  shore  a  monument  is  set  up  about  2  chains 
south  of  one  Baker's  house  standing  in  a  hollow." 

The  rook  mentioned  as  marked  with  the  letters  H.  B.  B.  R. 
P.  P.,  is  still  to  be  seen  and  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  land- 
marks in  this  portion  of  the  country.  It  is  in  the  town  of 
Pawlings,  on  the  homestead  of  Martin  Leach,  and  is  78  feet 
north  of  the  barn,  and  20  feet,  south  of  the  wall  on  the  south 
side  of  the  orchard  (which  wall  is  the  original  north  line  of  the 
Gore)  and  about  '65  feet  west  of  a  wall  running  north  from  the 
east  end  of  the  barn.  Some  20  rods  east  of  this  is  a  piece  of 
low  marshy  ground  and  a  small  stream  running  to  the  south. 
A  large  rock  and  an  old  white  oak  tree  stand  on  the  west 
side  of  the  marsh.  The  "new house  erected  by  Daniel  Chase" 
is  where  the  house  of  Martin  Leach  now  stands,  about  20  rods 
south  of  the  rock.  The  rock  is  95  paces  east  from  the  road 
which  runs  north  and  south.  As  this  farm  includes  land  on 
both  sides  of  the  Oblong,  the  line  itself  has  been  obliterated  by 
the  removal  of  the  fences,  but  the  original  line  was  two  or  three 
feet  west  of  the  rock.  The  letters  P.  P.  are  plainly  visible,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  rock,  which  slopes  downward,and  the  letters 
H.  B.  are  on  the  north  end,  which  is  nearly  perpendicular,  near 
the  top.  The  letters  B.  R.  have  disappeared  and  they  were 
probably  on  a  portion  of  the  rock  which  has  scaled  oflf.  Prom 
this  rock  the  "  Mizzen  Top  "  Hotel  bears  a  little  south  of  east. 
The  farm  and  homestead  were  sold  by  Daniel  Chase  to  Jona- 
than Aikin;  he  left  it  to  his  son  Peter,  who  in  turn  left  it  to  his 
son  Isaac;  he  left  it  to  his  nephew,  Jonathan  Aikin,  who  sold 
it  to  Martin  Leach,  the  present  owner,  about  1870. 

It  is  a  curious  illustration  of  how  easily  old  landmarks  are 
forgotten  that  neither  the  present  owner  nor  his  predecessor  had 
any  knowledge  as  to  the  significance  of  this  marked  monument. 
The  line  running  to  the  west  crosses  the  Harlem  Railroad  about 
100  rods  south  of  Pawlings  Station.  The  "pretty  large  pond 
in  the  mountains,"  is  now  known  as  Whaley  Pond.  The  agree- 
ment above  mentioned  is  recorded  in  the  records  of  Dutchess 
county,  in  Liber  C,  page  190.  The  Gore  thus  obtained  was 
surveyed  into  farms  by  Jonathan  Hampton  and  leased  and  sold 
to  various  parties.     Farm  15,  containing  249  acres,  was  sold  to 


106  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Eeed  Ferris,  February  5th,  1772.  It  was  then  in  possession  of 
Isaiah  and  Joseph  Burch.  By  agreement  Reed  Ferris  was  to 
bear  the  expense  of  any  law  suits  he  might  have  to  sustain  title. 
Farm  19  was  sold  to  Stephen  Wilcox,  and  was  then  in  posses- 
sion of  John  Munroe  and  Amos  Wilcox.  Among  the  purchas- 
ers was  John  Kane,  who  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Rev.  Elisha 
Kent,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  the  illustrious  explorer.  Dr. 
Elisha  Kent  Kane.  The  homestead  of  John  Kane  is  south  of 
Pawlings  and  was  formerly  known  as  the  "  Slocum  place,"  and 
was  in  1877  the  residence  of  William  H.  Chapman,  Esq.  Mr. 
Kane  kept  a  store  there  previous  to  the  Revolution. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  of  the  deed  to  Reed  Ferris.  The 
original  is  written  on  a  large  sheet  of  parchment  and  is  still  in 
possession  of  his  descendants.  The  residence  of  Mr.  Ferris  is 
still  standing. 

"This  indenture  made  the  fifth  day  of  February  in  the 
twelfth  year  of  the  Reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  George  the 
third  by  the  Grace  of  God  of  Great  Britain  France  and  Ireland 
King  Defender  of  the  Faith  &c.  Annoque  Domini  one  thousand- 
seven  hundred  and  seventy  two  Between  the  Honourable  Roger 
Morris  Esq.  and  Mary  his  Wife  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susan- 
nah his  Wife  the  Reverend  John  Ogilvie  and  Margaret  his 
Wife,  Nathaniel  Marston  and  Adolph  Philipse  of  the  first  Part, 
Reed  Ferris  of  Dutchess  County  Yeoman  of  the  second  Part 
Witnesseth  that  the  said  parties  of  the  first  part  for  and  in 
Consideration  of  the  sum  of  Eight  hundred  pounds  Current 
Money  of  the  Province  of  New  York  to  them  the  said  parties 
of  the  first  Part  in  hand  paid  by  the  said  Reed  Ferris  at  or  be- 
fore the  Ensealing  and  Delivery  of  the  Presents  the  Receipt 
whereof  they  do  hereby  acknowledge  and  thereof  do  acquit  re- 
lease and  Discharge  Reed  Ferris  his  Heirs  Executors  and  Ad- 
ministrators and  every  of  them  by  these  presents  have  granted 
bargained  and  sold  aliened  remised  released  and  by  these  Pres- 
ents Do  fully  freely  and  absolutely  grant  bargain  and  sell  alien 
remise  release  and  confirm  unto  the  said  Reed  Ferris  in  his  ac- 
tual possession  now  being  by  virtue  of  a  bargain  and  Sale  to  him 
*  *  *  and  his  Heirs  and  Assigns  forever  all  these  several 
Tracts  of  Land  Farms  or  Plantations  situate  lying  or  being  in 
Dutchess  County  being  part  of  the  undivided  part  of  Philipse's 
upper  patent  in  Pawlings  Precinct  called  butted  and  bounded 
as  follows  to  witt  Farm  Number  Fifteen  now  in  possession  of 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  107 

Isaiah  and  Joseph  Burch  beginning  at  a  stake  in  the  line  of 
Beverly  Kobinsons  Lot  Number  Seven  being  the  South  East 
Corner  of  farm  number  Seventeen  from  thence  North  forty-four 
Chains  forty  Links  to  farm  Number  Nineteen  then  East  Ninety- 
five  Chains  Eighty  Links  to  the  Corner  of  farm  Number  Nine- 
teen then  North  Ihree  Chains  fifty  Links  to  the  South  west  Cor- 
ner of  Farm  Number  Ten  then  East  thirty-three  Chains  ninety 
Links  to  Farm  Number  Eleven  then  South  Forty-three  Chains 
fifty  links  to  the  Line  of  the  said  Robinson's  Number  seven 
then  south  Eighty -seven  Degrees  West  fifty-nine  Chains  thirty 
Links  along  said  Robinson' s  Line  to  the  beginning  containing 
two  hundred  and  forty-nine  Acres  more  or  less  as  may  appear 
by  a  Map  and  return  Book  made  by  Jonathan  Hampton  may 
appear,  and  also  all  that  farm  or  plantation  called  farm  Number 
Nineteen  in  possession  of  John  Munroe  and  Amos  WilcOx 
butted  and  bounded  as  follows  to  wit  beginning  at  a  Stake  on 
Colonel  Beekman's  or  *  *  *  line  which  is  the  North  West 
corner  of  Farm  Number  Ten  from  thence  South  sixty-seven 
Chains  then  West  forty-four  Chains  Eighty  Links  to  the  South 
East  Corner  of  Farm  Number  sixteen  then  North  thirty-seven 
Chains  to  Farm  Number  thirteen  then  East  twenty  Chains  to 
the  Corner  of  said  Farm  Number  thirteen  then  North  thirty 
Chains  to  Beekman's  line  then  East  twenty-four  Chains  Eighty 
Links  to  the  Beginning  containing  two  Hundred  and  forty  acres 
more  or  less  as  by  a  Map  and  return  Book  of  Jonathan  Hamp- 
ton may  appear  together  with  all  and  singular  the  woods  etc. 

"  Roger  Morris, 
"  Mart  Morris, 
"  John  Ogilvie, 
"  Margaret  Ogilvie, 
"  Bev.  Robinson, 
"  Susannah  Robinson. 
"  Nathal.   Marston, 
"  Adolph  Philipse." 

This  Grore,  like  the  other,  was  divided  after  the  Revolution, 
between  the  heirs  of  Philip  Philipse  and  the  State*  of  New 
York,  the  State  taking  the  confiscated  shares  of  Beverly  Rob- 
inson and  Roger  Morris.  The  farms  were  sold  to  various  parties. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  OBLONG. 


THE  eastern  portion  of  Putnam  county  is  a  strip  of  land 
one  mile,  three  quarters  and  twenty  rods  wide.  This 
strip  is  a  portion  of  what  is  known  as  the  "Oblong"  or 
"Equivalent  Lands,"  the  history  of  which  is  exceedingly 
curious. 

At  the  time  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  colonies,  the 
geography  of  the  county  was  but  little  understood,  and  errone- 
ous descriptions  led  to  endless  controversies,  not  only  between 
individuals  but  between  townships  and  colonies  as  well.  The 
•boundary  between  the  Dutch  colony  of  New  Amsterdam  and 
the  English  colony  of  Connecticut  was  in  the  very  earliest  times 
a  fruitful  source  of  contention,  the  former  claiming  all  lands 
west  of  Connecticut  River,  while  the  latter  kept  pushing  their 
settlements  along  the  shore  of  the  Sound,  till  they  extended 
beyond  Byram  River.  'After  a  long  and  angry  dispute,  an 
agreement  was  concluded  at  Hartford  on  the  29th  of  September, 
1664.  By  this  it  was  resolved  that  the  boundaries  between  the 
Dutch  and  English  on  Long  Island  should  be  a  line  from  the 
western  part  of  Oyster  Bay  to  the  sea,  and  on  the  main  land 
the  bounds  were  to  begin  at  the  west  side  of  Greenwich  Bay 
and  run  in  a  northerly  direction,  twenty  miles  up  into  the 
country.  Ten  years  later  all  this  agreement  was  abrogated  by 
the  conquest  of  New  Netherland  and  the  establishment  of  the 
English  rule  in  the  province  of  New  York. 

The  controversy  as  to  boundaries  now  became  one  between 
New  York  and  Connecticut.  On  the  13th  of  October,  1664,  the 
General  Assembly  of  Connecticut  appointed  delegates  to  ac- 
company the  governor  to  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
gratulating the  duke's  commissioners  and  settling  the  bounda- 
ries between  the  colonies.     Accordingly,  on  the  28th  of  Octo- 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  109 

ber,  1664,  an  agreement  was  made  by  which  the  boundaries  be- 
tween New  York  and  Connecticut  were  fixed  at  twenty  miles 
east  of  the  Hudson  River,  running  north  from  Long  Island 
Sound,  and  parallel  to  the  river.  This  was  signed  on  the  1st  of 
December,  and  the  line  established  was  to  begin  at  the  mouth 
of  Mamaroneck  Creek  on  the  Sound  and  extend  north-north- 
west to  the  line  of  Massachusetts,  this  being  supposed  to  be 
parallel  with  the  river,  and  was  so  stated  in  a  letter  from  Gov. 
Nicolls  to  the  Duke  of  York,  in  1665.  It  was  soon  found  that 
this  idea  was  grossly  erroneous,  for  the  line  would  cross  the 
Hudson  River  below  West  Point.  The  commotions  and  changes 
in  the  two  colonies  originated  in  the  reconquest  of  New  York 
by  the  Dutch  in  1669,  and  its  surrender  to  the  English  soon 
after  put  a  temporary  stop  to  the  agitation  and  no  official  nego- 
tiations took  place  till  after  1680.  In  the  mean  time  the  Con- 
necticut people  surveyed  the  line  which  as  they  said  struck  the 
Hudson  River  "below  the  new  mills  erected  by  Mr.  Frederick 
Philipse. ' '  These  mills  were  on  a  creek  above  the  present  village 
of  Tarrytown,  made  famous  by  Irving's  "Legend  of  Sleepy 
Hollow."  This  line  was  so  eminently  to  the  advantage  of  Con- 
necticut that  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  stoutly  claimed  it, 
notwithstanding  the  manifest  error,  and  the  controversy  soon 
began  to  assume  formidable  proportions. 

In  1683,  a  delegation  was  sent  to  Governor  Dongan,  to  treat 
with  him  for  a  settlement  of  the  boundaries,  but  they  were 
privately  instructed  to  insist  upon  the  line  running  north-north- 
west from  Mamaroneck  and  any  deviation  from  it  was  to  be 
ascribed  to  their  desire  "to  oblige  his  honor  and  to  promote 
a  perpetual  good  correspondence"  between  the  two  colonies. 
Governor  Dongan  and  the  New  York  Council  insisted  upon  the 
line  twenty  miles  east  from  the  Hudson  River  and  all  that  the 
representatives  of  Connecticut  could  obtain  was  permission  to 
retain  the  settlements  they  had  made  on  the  Sound,  in  exchange 
for  an  equal  tract  further  north.  This  agreement  was  made 
November  24th,  1683,  and  it  established  a  boundary  which  has 
ever  since  remained.  The  bounds  were  to  begin  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Byram  River  and  run  xip  it  to  the  head  of  tide  water. 
A  line  was  then  to  be  run  north-northwest,  eight  miles  from  the 
Sound;  from  this  point  another  line  was  to  be  run  12  miles, 
parallel  in  its  general  course  to  the  Sound;  from  the  end  of  this 
line  another  line  was  to  be  run  parallel  to  the  Hudson  River, 


110  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  everywhere  twenty  miles  from  it,  northerly  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts line,  and  on  the  east  side  of  this  line  a  tract  was  to  be 
laid  oif  equal  in  acres  to  the  amount  yielded  to  Connecticut  on 
the  shores  of  the  Sound.  This  tract  so  laid  off  was  called  the 
"Equivalent  Lands"  and  the  boundary  was  to  be  on  its  eastern- 
most side. 

This  agreement  was  approyed  by  Connecticut,  May  8th,  1684, 
and  a  surveyor  and  committee  were  appointed  to  lay  out  the 
line.  They  began  at  the  mouth  of  Byram  River,  and  measured 
up  it  to  the  head  of  tide  water  and  then  ran  a  line  north-north- 
west six  miles  and  a  half,  completing  eight  miles  from  the 
Sound.  They  then  ran  the  line  twelve  miles  east,  parallel  to  the 
Sound,  but  as  this  point  was  found  not  to  be  twenty  miles 
from  the  Hudson  River,  they  continued  it  a  mile  and  sixty-four 
rods,  and  there  the  point  was  fixed  at  the  place  of  beginning  of 
the  line  which  was  to  run  north  to  the  Massachusetts  line,  and 
parallel  to  the  river.  A  calculation  was  made  of  the  land  yielded 
to  Connecticut,  and  it  was  found  to  be  61,440  acres.  The  width 
of  the  ' '  Equivalent  Lands ' '  was  calculated  on  the  assumption 
that  the  line  was  100  miles  long.  As  this  line  was  disadvanta- 
geous to  Connecticut  every  possible  means  was  tried  to  prevent 
it  from  being  carried  into  effect  and  the  records  of  legislation 
and  oflScial  correspondence  from  1718  to  1725  bear  ample  testi- 
mony to  the  ingenuity  if  to  no  other  trait,  for  which  the  people 
of  Connecticut  have  always  been  famous.  The  lines  run  in  1684 
remained  for  thirty-three  years  before  any  steps  were  taken  to 
extend  them  and  complete  the  transfer  of  territory  from  Con- 
necticut to  New  York. 

In  1717,  the  government  of  New  York  took  steps  to  have  the 
line  determined,  and  made  an  effort  to  get  Connecticut  to  unite 
in  the  undertaking.  It  seems  that  at  the  end  of  the  twelve  mile 
line  parallel  to  the  Sound  there  was  a  tree  called  the  "  Duke's 
tree."  Connecticut  claimed  this  as  the  starting  point  of  the 
line  to  be  run  north,  while  New  York  refused  to  accept  this 
point  unless  it  was  determined  by  actual  measurement.  The 
report  made  by  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Council  of  New 
York  pretty  clearly  established  the  fact  that  the  claim  for  the 
"  Duke' s  tree  "  w  as  a  "  Yankee  trick, "  and  t  hat  the  true  bounds 
were  305  rods  beyond  the  place  where  the  tree  was  supposed  to 
stand.  Nothing  effectual  was  done  till  1724,  when  Connecticut 
appointed  commissioners  and  yielded  all  the  points  of  the  pre- 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  Ill 

vious  contentions.  In  consideration  for  the  Connecticut  settlers 
near  the  line  at  Ridgefield,  it  was  determined  to  make  a  crook 
in  the  boundary  corresponding  to  the  one  in  the  Hudson  River 
at  Cortlandt's  Point  (now  known  as  Verplanck's  Point),  conse- 
quently a  line  was  measured  due  east  from  the  western  extrem- 
ity of  Cortlandt's  Point  twenty  miles,  and  to  make  the  crook 
as  great  as  possible  it  was  agreed  that  the  line  should  be  meas- 
ured without  any  allowance  for  errors  in  chaining.  A  calcula- 
tion was  then  to  be  made  of  the  width  of  the  tract  running  the 
whole  length  of  the  two  lines  which  extended  from  the  line 
parallel  with  the  Sound  to  the  Massachusetts  line.  This  tract 
was  to  be  conveyed  to  New  York  and  the  east  line  was  to  be 
the  boundary,  it  was  also  agreed  that  one  compass  should  be 
used  and  that  all  measurements  should  be  made  on  the  surface 
of  the  ground. 

One  of  the  objections  made  to  running  the  line  had  been  that 
certain  poor  families  who  had  settled  on  the  tract  might  be  in 
danger  of  losing  their  lands,  and  it  was  agreed  on  both  sides 
that  such  persons  should  receive  a  patent  for  the  lands  they 
had  improved.  They  began  the  survey  in  1725,  and  measured 
the  various  lines  from  the  mouth  of  Byram  River,  to  the  end 
of  the  twelve  mile  line  parallel  to  the  Sound,  marking  every 
point  with  the  utmost  care,  and  there  they  stopped,  leaving  the 
line  running  north  to  be  run  at  some  future  time.  The  tract  of 
more  than  60,000  acres  thus  to  be  acquired  by  New  York,  pre 
sented  an  opportunity  too  tempting  to  be  resisted  by  land 
speculators  of  the  last  century.  The  "certain  poor  families  " 
still  remained  in  the  same  state  of  uncertainty  as  to  whether 
they  were  to  be  in  New  York  or  Connecticut,  and  a  partnership 
was  formed  by  them  with  residents  of  New  York,  who  had  cap- 
ital, political  influence  and  official  position,  and  a  plan  was  de- 
vised for  ending  their  troubles.  On  the  3d  of  September,  1730, 
a  petition  was  presented  to  the  New  York  Council  by  Thomas 
Hauley  and  twenty-one  others,  setting  forth  that  they  were,  as 
they  supposed,  residents  upon  the  Equivalent  Tract,  where  they 
had  settled  believing  it  to  be  in  Connecticut,  and  that  to  de- 
prive them  of  their  lands  would  impoverish  them,  and  if  they 
could  have  50,000  acres  of  the  Equivalent  Lands,  they  would 
defray  the  charge  of  completing  the  boundary  line,  which  had 
been  suspended  for  want  of  funds. 

This  was  agreed  to  by  both  colonies  and  surveyors  and  com- 


112  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

missioners  were  appointed,  and  it  was  declared  that  when  the 
work  should  be  completed  by  the  erection  of  monuments,  the 
lines  so  designated  should  forever  be  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween New  York  and  Connecticut.  The  line  was  run  to  the 
Massachusetts  line,  in  the  spring  of  1731.  From  the  east  end  of 
the  line,  measured  twenty  miles  due  east  from  the  end  of  Ver- 
planck's  Point,  a  random  line  was  run  to  the  Massachusetts 
boundary.  This  was  a  little  more  than  50  miles  long,  and  the 
north  end  on  the  Massachusetts  line  was  found  by  measurement 
to  be  132  rods  too  far  west.  This  distance  being  measured 
off,  a  monument  was  erected  at  the  true  corner.  Tlie  straight 
line  between  this  monument  and  the  east  end  of  the  twenty 
mile  line  from  Verplanck's  Point  was  then  run  by  measuring 
perpendiculars  from  the  random  line  at  intervals  of  two  miles, 
and  the  extremities  of  these  offset  lines  were  marked  by  heaps 
of  stones.  When  the  proper  calculation  was  made  the  tract  of 
Equivalent  Land  was  found  to  be  one  mile,  three-quarters  and 
twenty  rods  wide.  This  tract  was  measured  by  running  lines 
east  from  the  heaps  of  stones  in  the  direct  line  just  measured, 
and  the  erection  of  heaps  of  stones  opposite  them,  which 
heaps  marked  the  boundary  line  between  New  York  and  Con- 
necticut. 

At  the  time  of  this  survey  there  were  but  two  or  three  roads 
crossing  the  line,  and  no  villages  near  it,  and  the  lands  were  en- 
tirely unsettled,  except  a  few  miles  from  the  south  end.  The 
natural  result  of  measuring  the  lines  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  which  varied  from  level  land  to  rough  and  precipitous 
mountains,  was  that  the  heaps  of  stones  which  marked  the 
boundary  between  the  two  States  of  New  York  and  Connecti- 
cut were  not  in  a  straight  line,  nevertheless  they  are  the  true 
boundary.  The  commissioners  held  a  meeting  at  Dover  after 
completing  the  survey,  and  there  executed  a  deed,  by  which  the 
Equivalent  Lands  were  conveyed  to  New  York  and  they  have 
ever  since  formed  a  part  of  her  territory.  A  patent  for  50,000 
acres  was  granted  to  Hauley  and  his  associates,  in  four  separate 
tracts  and  embracing  the  greater  part  of  the  whole.  The  sur- 
veyor general  was  next  directed  to  survey  these  lands  for  the 
purpose  of  division  among  the  owners.  This  was  done  about 
1732.  The  map  made  by  Cadwallader  Colden,  is  now  among 
the  Colden  papers  in  the  library  of  the  New  York  Historical 
Society,  and  is  the  only  map  of  any  of  the  early  surveys  that 


GENERAL  HISTOKY.  113 

can  be  found.  The  land  was  divided  among  the  Hauley  pat- 
entees, who  sold  it  to  settlers  and  by  this  title  the  lands  are 
now  held. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  settlers  could  buy  these  lands,  they  were 
settled  at  an  early  day,  and  the  "Oblong"  was  the  original 
Southeast  Precinct  and  had  many  inhabitants.  The  Oblong  line 
is  still  well  defined  though  in  some  places  obliterated  by  the  re- 
moval of  fences  by  persons  who  own  land  on  both  sides  of  the 
line.  Its  location  at  various  points  is  given  in  the  sketches  of 
the  towns  of  Southeast  and  Patterson.  The  west  line  of  the 
Oblong  was  marked  by  heaps  of  stones  at  intervals  of  two  miles. 
The  following  is  the  description  of  these  points  as  taken  from 
the  report  of  the  commissioners.  The  first  two  monuments  at 
the  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  angle  are  in  Westchester 
county.  The  next,  or  the  sixth  mile  monument,  is  the  first  in 
Putnam  county. 

"At  the  distance  of  six  miles  in  the  said  line  we  set  up  a 
stake  and  heaped  some  stones  around  it  on  the  top  of  a  ridge 
for  a  monument  which  we  esteemed  to  be  about  thirty  rods 
East  of  a  cedar  swamp,  and  marked  some  trees  on  each  side 
of  said  monument  in  a  nearly  North  12  degrees  30  minutes 
Course'." 

"  At  the  distance  of  eight  miles  we  set  up  a  stake  and  heaped 
up  some  stones  round  it  for  a  monument,  being  between  two 
rocky  hills,  about  four  rods  from  the  eastermost  of  them  and 
marked  some  trees  on  each  side  of  said  monument\" 

"At  the  distance  of  ten  miles  we  set  up  a  stake  and  heaped 
ap  some  stones  round  it  for  a  monument  being  on  the  west  side 
of  a  ridge  of  land  and  66  chains  on  the  perpendicular  west  from 
Croton  River  and  marked  some  trees  on  each  side  of  said  monu- 
ment'." 

"  At  the  distance  of  twelve  miles  we  set  up  a  stake  and  heaped 
some  stones  round  it  as  a  monument  being  at  the  east  side  of  a 
hill  near  a  point  of  rocks  to  the  west  of  a  great  swamp  and 
boggy  meadow  in  said  swamp  in  Croton  River."  [This  twelve^ 
mile  monument  is  on  the  land  of  Dr.  Jonathan  Seeley,  about  40 

'  This  monument  is  opposite  the  cedar  swamp,  north  of  Peach  Pond.  The  line 
runs  through  this  lake. 

'  The  eight  mile  monument  is  on  the  land  of  Stephen  Barnum,  about  one-quar- 
ter mile  north  of  the  road  to  Milltown. 

=  The  ten  mUe  monument  is  about  30  rods  north  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Doansburg. 


114  HISTORY   OF   PPTNAM   COUNTY. 

rods  north  of  the  road  leading  from  Ms  honse  to  De  Forrest's 
corners.] 

"  At  the  distance  of  fourteen  miles  we  set  up  a  stake  and 
heaped  up  some  stones  round  it  for  a  monument  near  on  the 
top  of  a  mountain  being  on  the  east  side  of  the  aforesaid  Great 
Swamp  and  near  the  southwest  end  of  the  said  mountains'." 

"At  the  distance  of  sixteen  miles  we  set  up  a  stake  and 
heaped  up  some  stones  round  it  for  a  monument  being  on  the 
northwest  side  of  a  brushy  hill  and  marked  some  trees  on  each 
side  of  said  monument^" 

"  At  the  distance  of  eighteen  miles  we  set  up  a  stake  and 
heaped  up  some  stones  round  it  for  a  monument,  being  on  the 
north  side  of  a  small  run  of  water  and  in  a  low  piece  of  land 
and  marked  some  trees  on  each  side  of  said  monument."  [This 
eighteen  mile  monument  is  in  the  town  of  Pawlings,  on  the 
farm  of  Isaac  Aikin.  It  is  about  one-quarter  mile  north  of  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  Philipse  Patent.  This  monument  was 
two  chains  and  two  rods  north  from  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  Oblong  Lot  No.  23.  J 

Of  the  tract  granted  to  Thomas  Hauley  and  his  associates 
44,250  acres  were  released  to  Adam  Ireland,  John  Thomas  and 
Benjamin  Birdsall,  June  15th,  1731.  The  deed  is  recorded  in 
Dutchess  County  Records,  Liber  N.,  Page  302,  and  these 
parties  sold  Lots  23  and  16  to  Jacob  Haviland,  jr.,  June  16th, 
1731. 

The  original  line  between  New  York  and  Connecticut  was  es- 
tablished by  the  commissioners  who  run  the  Oblong  line,  by 
measuring  lines  perpendicular  from  the  Oblong  line,  from  each 
of  the  before  mentioned  monuments  which  were  two  miles  dis- 
tant from  each  other.  The  following  is  the  description  of  the 
monuments  which  were  placed  to  mark  the  Connecticut  line: 

"  The  monument  corresponding  to  the  monument  at  six  miles 
distance  as  aforesaid  is  a  stake  with  a  heap  of  stones  round  it 
near  the  north  end  of  a  swamp  and  by  a  foot-path  leading  to 
Danbury'." 

"The  monument  corresponding  to  the  monument  of  eight 

'  This  fourteen  mile  monument  is  on  the  top  of  the  mountains  north  of  the 
Methodist  chapel  at  "  Cowle's  Corners." 

'^The  16  mile  monument  is  nearly  east  from  "Aikin's  Corners"  and  near 
where  the  road  running  east  from  the  school  house  crosses  the  Oblong  line. 

*This  is  on  a  strip  of  dry  land  between  two  swamps,  the  old  foot-path  running 
on  this  ridge. 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  115 

miles  distance  as  aforesaid,  is  a  stake  and  heap  of  stones  round 
it  in  a  hollow  upon  a  high  rocky  hill'." 

"  The  monument  corresponding  to  the  monument  at  ten 
miles  distance  as  aforesaid  is  a  stake  with  a  heap  of  stones 
round  it  in  a  springy  ground  on  the  west  side  of  a  high  hiir." 

"The  monument  corresponding  to  the  monument  at  twelve 
miles  distance  as  aforesaid  was  set  up  at  the  end  of  two  miles 
on  a  line  running  nearly  north  12  degrees  30  minutes  east  from 
the  monument  corresponding  to  the  monument  at  ten  miles  dis- 
tance, because  we  could  not  carry  the  perpendicular  across  the 
Great  Swamp,  that  was  overiiowed  by  Croton  river;  and  we 
marked  the  trees  in  the  said  two  miles  with  3  notches  on  the 
north  and  south  sides.  This  monument  is  a  heap  of  stones 
round  a  small  white  oak  tree°." 

"The  monument  corresponding  to  the  monument  at  fourteen 
miles  distance  is  a  stake  and  heap  of  stones  standing  on  the 
northwest  side  of  a  hill*." 

"The  monument  corresponding  to  the  monument  at  six- 
teen miles  distance  is  a  stake  and  heap  of  stones  on  a  high  hill, 
there  being  two  small  ponds  to  the  south  east  eastward  of  the 
monument,  the  nearest  to  which  is  about  5  rods  to  the  monu- 
ment."    [This  monument  is  on  top  of  Cranberry  Mountain.] 

"The  monument  col-responding  to  the  monumefit  at  eighteen 
miles  distance  as  aforesaid  is  a  stake  and  heap  of  stones  on  a 
ledge  of  rocks  on  the  west  side  of  a  hill."  [This  monument 
was  found  in  1860.     It  is  north  of  the  county  line. J 

In  1855  commissioners  were  appointed  by  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut to  unite  with  commissioners  to  be  appointed  by  New 
York  to  ascertain  and  settle  the  boundary  line.  In  accordance 
with  a  joint  resolution  of  the  Legislature  of  New  York,  passed 
April  5th,  1856,  Gov.  Myron  H.  Clark  appointed  Hon.  Benjamin 
Field,  of  Orleans  county,  Hon.  Samuel  D.  Backus,  of  Kings, 
and  Col.  Jonathan  Tarbell,  of  Essex,  to  be  commissioners  on 
the  part  of  New  York. 

'This  is  on  the  top  of  Joe's  Hill  and  about  60  rods  south  of  the  road  from  Mill- 
town  to  Danbury. 

'This  monument  is  in  a  piece  of  meadow  lately  belonging  to  Seneca  Salmons, 
who  removed  the  stones.  The  hole  made  in  the  ground  by  the  heap  of  stones  was 
still  visible  in  1860,  when  the  line  was  re-surveyed. 

'The  commissioners  in  1860  could  find  no  trace  of  this  monument. 

"■This  monumeut  was  found  in  1860.  A  small  maple  tree  had  grown  up  through 
it  crowding  off  the  upper  stones  but  leaving  the  foundation  intact. 


116  HISTOKT   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

The  commissioners  of  both  States  met  but  no  agreement 
could  be  made  between  them.  Connecticut  insisted  on  a  straight 
line  from  the  corner  monument  on  the  Massachusetts  line  to  the 
angle  in  Westchester  county,  while  New  York  insisted  that  the 
line  should  run  through  the  ancient  monuments  erected  by  the 
former  commissioners  in  1731,  although  that  line  would  not  be 
straight,  as  they  were  not  authorized  to  make  a  new  line  but  to 
ascertain  and  perpetuate  the  old  one.  All  efforts  to  agree 
proving  fruitless,  the  commissioners  of  New  York  made  report 
to  the  Senate  in  1857,  giving  a  full  history  of  the  case.  By  an 
Act  of  Legislature,  passed  April  4th,  1860,  "The  commission- 
ers were  directed  and  empowered  to  survey  the  line  between  the 
States  and  to  mark  it  with  suitable  monuments  as  fixed  by 
the  survey  of  1731."  The  commissioners  were  to  give  one 
month's  notice  to  the  Connecticut  commissioners  and  if  they 
refused  or  neglected  to  attend,  they  were  to  run  the  line  with- 
out them.  They  accordingly  surveyed  the  line  (Connecticut 
commissioners  not  consenting)  and  made  report  to  the  New  York 
Senate,  in  1861.  The  old  monuments  were  found  and  identified 
and  monuments  of  sawed  marble  eight  inches  square  and  stand- 
ing out  of  ground  about  two  and  a  half  feet  were  placed  at  road 
crossings  and  other  suitable  places.  For  reasons  given  before  a 
line  connecting! the  ancient  monuments  would  not  be  straight. 
For  the  sake  of  the  curious,  the  course  of  the  line  as  then  run 
is  given  as  far  as  Putnam  county  is  concerned:'  From  6  mile 
monument  to  8  mile  monument,  N.  10°  19'  E.,  159  ch.,  28  L. 
From  8  mile  monument  to  10  mile  monument,  N.  12°,  24'  E., 
155  ch.,  71  L.  From  10  mile  monument  to  14  mile  monument, 
N.  10°,  51'  E.,  313  ch.,  41  L.  From.  14  mile  monument  to 
16  mile  monument,  N.  10°,  11'  E.,  161  ch.,  7  L.  From  16 
mile  monument  to  18  mile  monument,  N.  12°,  19'  E.,  157  ch., 
15  L. 

The  south  line  of  the  county  runs  about  half  a  mile  south 
of  the  six  mile  monument.  The  course  between  the  six 
mile  and  the  four  mile  monument  in  Westchester  is  south  12°, 
20'  W. 

In  1879,  by  an  Act  of  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
the  secretary  of   State,    the  attorney  general,  and   the   State 

^The  distance  in  the  new  survey  was  made  on  horizontal  distances  which 
accounts  for  differences. 


GENERAL  HISTOET.  117 

engineer  and  surveyor  were  appointed  commissioners  to  meet 
with  commissioners  appointed  by  the  State  of  Connecticut  to 
establish  the  boundary  between  the  States.  A  settlement  of 
the  long  vexed  question  was  finally  made,  and  the  line  as  run 
and  marked  by  the  New  York,  commissioners  in  1860  was 
agreed  upon  as  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  States. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


SETTLEMENT  AND  POPULATION. 

AT  the  time  when  Dutchess  county  was  established,  in  1683, 
the  whole  region  was  almost  without  inhabitants.  The 
historian.  Smith,  writing  about  1750,  says,  "  The  inhabitants  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  are  Dutch  but  those  more  easterly  are 
Englishmen  who  have  for  the  most  part  emigrated  from  Con- 
necticut and  Long  Island.  The  growth  of  the  county  has  been 
very  sudden,  and  commenced  but  a  few  years  ago.  Within 
the  memory  of  people  now  living  it  did  not  contain  above 
twelve  families."  The  following  copy  of  a  letter  which  was 
formerly  in  possession  of  T.  Van  Wyck  BrinkerhoflE  of  East 
Fishkill,  may  throw  some  light  on  the  early  settlement  of 
Dutchess  county. 

"In  the  year  1723,  I  saw  Isaac  Upton  a  coaster  from  New 
Port  who  informed  me  that  about  1760  he  came  up  the  North 
river  to  Poughkeepsie,  and  in  company  with  another  person 
went  to  Mabbitt's  store  in  Washington  on  business.  That  on 
their  return  they  took  a  circuitous  route  from  Pleasant  Valley 
and  passed  the  house  of  a  German  by  the  name  of  Hoffman 
who  was  then  118  years  old.  He  supposed  himself  to  be  the 
first  settler  in  Dutchess  county.  When  young  he  deserted  from 
a  Dutch  ship  of  war  in  New  York,  squatted  where  he  then 
lived,  built  him  a  shanty  and  lived  a  number  of  years  a  solitary 
life  without  being  able  to  find  a  white  woman  for  a  wife.  After- 
ward he  found  a  German  familj''  at  Rhinebeck;  married  and  lived 
where  he  then  was  to  that  advanced  age.  I  was  informed  that 
he  died  two  years  afterward  at  the  age  of  120. 

"Paul  Upton." 

In  1723,  the  whole  population  of  Dutchess  county  was  re- 
ported to  be  1,083.  What  is  now  Putnam  county  was  included 
in  the  "South  Ward,"  and  the  following  list  gives  the  names 
of  the  taxable  inhabitants  in  that  district,  at  that  time. 


GENEEAL  HISTORY.  119 

"The  Inhabitants,  Residents,  and  Freeholders  of  Dutchess 
County  (South  Ward)  are  rated  and  assessed  by  ye  assessors 
for  the  same  the  16th  day  of  Jan.  Annoqiie  Dom.  1623-4:  Juerie 
Springsteen,  9  pounds;  Joseph  Arkils,  6;  Isaac  Hardicke,  14; 
Peter  Du  Bois,  25;  Robert  Denze,  7;  Johannes  Peter,  5;  Johan- 
nes Mettler,  10;  James  Hussey,  25;  The  widow  of  Gerrit  Vel- 
dit,  25;  John  Buys,  8;  John  Montross,  14;  Abraham  Buys,  9; 
Johannes  Buys,  9;  Jacobus  Swartwout,  12;  Francis  De  Lange, 
23;  Daniel  Boss,  15;  Jacob  Mousuer,  6;  John  Schouten,  12; 
Peter  Lassink,  20;  Lawrence  Lassink,  8;  Jury  Mousuer,  5; 
Alexander  Grigs,  12;  Johannes  Osterom,  5;  Henderick  Boss,  5; 
Rich.  Lounsbury,  5;  Peter  Arkils,  10;  Peter  Stringal,  5;  The 
widow  of  Roger  Brett,  deceased,  50;  Nicholas  Walder,  7;  Hen- 
drick  Philipse,  8;  The  widow  of  Everet  Jong,  5;  Johannes  Ter 
Boss,  32;  and  for  the  land  of  Mr.  Andrew  Teller  in  his  posses- 
sion, 18,  in  all  50;  Johannes  Ter  Boss,  Jr.,  12;  John  De  Lange, 
5;  Andrus  Frederick  Peck,  9;  Jans  Snider,  110;  The  widow  of 
Simon  Schouten,  16;  Wm.  Lassink,  11;  David  Brill,  5;  Isaack 
Lassing,  8;  Wm.  Schut,  8;  Jacobus  Ter  Boss,  5;  Cornelius  Bo- 
gardus,  5;  Jan  Crankhyt,  Jr.,  6;  Tax  £27, 3s;  £543." 

The  list  is  small,  but  small  as  it  is  none  of  the  persons  named 
are  positively  known  to  have  been  living  on  the  Philipse  Patent. 
In  the  statement  of  David  Mmham,  the  Indian  sachem,  pre- 
sented to  the  governor  and  Council,  in  1765,  it  is  stated  that 
about  40  years  before,  sundry  persons  began  to  settle  upon  the 
land  as  tenants  of  Adolph  Philipse,  and  it  also  seems  that  some 
whites  were  settlers  on  the  land  as  tenants  of  the  Indians  them- 
selves. It  seems  to  be  well  established  that  as  early  as  1740 
there  was  quite  a  number  of  inhabitants.  The  fact  that  when 
the  survey  and  division  of  the  patent  was  made  in  1754,  an 
'■  Old  meeting  house  "  standing  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Lot 
9  is  mentioned  as  a  landmark,  would  indicate  a  population  suf- 
ficiently large  to  establish  a  church  at  least  twenty  years  be- 
fore that  date.  These  were  the  "Englishmen  who  came  from 
Connecticut  and  Long  Island,"  as  mentioned  by  Smith.  About 
1740,  there  was  a  large  number  of  families  who  emigrated  to 
this  region  from  Cape  Cod.  Others  came  from  the  bordering 
towns  in  Connecticut,  while  the  Townsends,  Holmes,  Fields 
and  Hortons  are  prominent  examples  of  the  families  who  came 
from  Long  Island. 

The  lands  in  the' tract  called  the  Oblong,  next  to  the  Connec- 


120  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

ticut  line,  were  speedily  settled,  it  is  said,  because  lands  could 
be  purchased,  witli  an  indisputable  title.  It  was  not  thfe  policy 
of  the  owners  of  the  Fhilipse  Patent  to  sell  their  lands,  and  so 
far  as  ascertained  a  tract  of  245  acres  sold  by  Colonel  Morris 
and  his  wife  to  William  Hill,  in  1765,  was  the  first  tract  that 
was  actually  sold  out  of  the  whole  patent.  The  various  lots 
were  surveyed  and  divided  into  farms  of  various  sizes,  and 
leased  to  tenants  who  paid  an  annual  rent.  In  some  cases  the 
leases  were  given  in  perpetuity,  and  when  the  owner  sold  por- 
tions of  his  farm,  he  took  care  to  charge  the  part  sold  with  a 
due  proportion  of  the  rent  as  a  part  of  the  consideration.  An 
instance  is  the  Dickenson  farm,  which  is  mentioned  in  the 
sketch  of  the  town  of  Carmel.  The  following  affidavit  shows 
the  names  of  some  of  the  early  settlers: 

"affidavit   of  TIMOTHY   SHAVT,  1767. 

"  Sworn  says  that  he  formerly  was  a  tenant  under  Adolph 
Philipse  deceased  within  the  Patent  commonly  called  the  Upper 
Patent,  being  the  land  now  claimed  by  Beverly  Robinson,  Roger 
Morris  and  Philip  Philipse,  and  that  he  is  very  well  acquainted 
with  all  the  settlements  that  have  been  made  in  the  said  Upper 
Patent,  within  the  last  twenty-five  years.  That  when  he  first 
became  acquainted  with  the  said  Upper  Patent  the  following  per- 
sons were  settled  thereon  and  held  as  he  understood  from  them 
as  tenants  under  Adolph  Philipse,  to  wit  Philip  Minthorne, 
Elisha  Tompkins,  John  Tompkins,  Wm.  Hunt,  Daniel  Town- 
tsend,  John  Dickenson,  James  Dickenson,  John  Sprague,  Wm. 
Sturdevant,  Ira  Hill,  Moses  Northrup  Sen.,  Thomas  Philipse, 
Oeorge  Hughson,  James  McCrady,  Samuel  Fields,  Amos  Dick- 
inson, Hezekiah  Wright,  Jeremiah  Calkins,  John  Calkins, 
Joseph  Porter,  Ichabod  Vickery,  Ebenezer  King,  Samuel  Jones, 
James  Paddock,  Peter  Paddock,  David  Paddock,  John  Eagles- 
ton,  two  brothers  of  the  name  of  Bircham,  John  Kiel,  Wm. 
Bardsley,  Thomas  Kirkam,  Nathaniel  Robinson,  one  Cole,  Wm. 
Smith,  John  Smith,  Nathaniel  Underhill,  Edward  Stevens,  one 
Barton,  John  Reynolds,  and  a  great  many  other  persons,  and 
this  deponent  really  believes  that  there  were  upward  of  three 
hundred  settlers  on  said  Patent  (as  tenants  of  the  Philipse 
family)  upward  of  three  miles  from  Hudson  river,  before  the 
year  1756.  That  either  two  or  three  years  ago,  in  the  winter 
season  the  said  Philip  Philipse  was  at  the  house  of  Uriah  Law- 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  ,121 

rence  one  of  the  tenants,  where  Daniel  Nimham,  the  Indian 
together  with  at  least  300  persons  chiefly  tenants  of  said, 
Philipse  were  assembled,  and  that  the  said  Fhilipse  then  and 
there  in  his  hearing  and  in  the  hearing  of  as  many  as  could  con- 
veniently crowd  near  enough  to  hear  what  passed,  asked  the  said 
Nimham  where  the  lands  were  which  he  claimed,  whereupon 
the  said  Nimham  said  that  he  had  no  lands.  Upon  which  the 
said  Philip  Philipse  asked  the  said  Nimham,  why  he  made  such 
a  Rout  among  the  tenants,  to  which  he  answered,  that  he  was 
told  to  do  so  by  Stephen  Cowenham  and  One  Pound  pocktwo 
and  other  Indians.  That  the  said  Nimham  never  to  his  knowl- 
edge lived  within  the  bounds  of  the  said  Patent',  and  that  all 
the  Indians  who  formerly  lived  in  the  Patent  had  abandoned  it 
,long  before  the  year  1756,  and  settled  as  this  deponent  as  been 
informed  beyond  Minnisink,  near  Delaware. 

his 
TiMOTHT  X  Shaw. 
^'  Done  this  6th   day  of  March  )  Mark. 

1767  before  me  f 

"  Daniel  Horsmanden." 

TAX   LIST   op   PHILIP    PHILIPSE   PATENT,    1777. 

"  List  of  the  taxable  inhabitants  of  Philipse  Patent  in  the 
year  1777.  South  East  Precinct,  (Oblong):  Joseph  Crane,  4; 
Joseph  Field,  4;  Benjamin  Townsend,  4;  Isaac  Crosby,  3;  Simeon 
Rider,  4;  Nathaniel  Foster,  3;  Nathan  Green,  1;  Tho.  Foster, 
'6;  Tho.  Gage,  2;  James  Birdsall,  8;  Matthew  Burgis,  4;  Matthew 
Benedict,  2;  Elihu  Gage,  3;  Samuel  Benedict,  1;  Steph.  Rock- 
well, 1;  John  June,  1;  Ebenezer  Gage,  2;  Tho.  Baldwin,  5; 
Nathan  Birdsall,  4;  Zebulon  Briggs,  2;  Roger  Haviland,  3;  Jesse 
Lane,  3;  Benj.  Sears,  4;  Shaw  Youngs,  2;  Tho.  Burgis,  1;  Wm. 
Stone,  2;  Daniel  Haviland,  6;  Martin  Hall,  3;  Benj.  Hopkins, 
2;  Wm.  Penney,  3;  Tho.  Sears,  3;  Asa  Barnum,  3;  Roderick 
McKinsy,  1;  Mark  Gage,  1;  David  Penney,  1;  Ebenezer  Hum- 
stead,  2;  John  Purdy,  1;  Joseph  Arnold,  1;  John  Hopkins,  1; 
Wm.  March,  1;  Joseph  Fields,  2;  Wm.  Young,  1;  Edward  Rice,  1; 
Elihu  Youngs,  1;  Wm.  Mott,  5;  Ri.  Honeywell,  1;  John  Star, 
1;   Jacob  Millard,  1;    Samuel  Spencer,  1;   Solomon  Haviland,  1; 

'  In  a  survey  of  the  north  line  of  the  Highlands  made  by  John  Alsop  about 
1765,  Nimham's  wigwam  is  representpd  as  north  of  the  mountains,  in  the  town  of 
Fishkill. 


122  HISTORY   or  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Gilbert  Steadwell,  4;  Reuben  Ryder,  1;  The.  Clements,  1;  Elias 
Jones,   1;  Solomon  Crane,  1;   Nathaniel  Foster,  Jr.,  2;  Elijah 

Doty,  3;  Elnathan  March,  2;  Rowland  Russell,  1;  Nick- 

ersou,— ;  Peter  Field,  2;  Tho.  Sen  tier,  1;  Joseph  Stud  well's 
Farm,  2;  Joseph  Burtis,  1;  Zach.  Hinman  on  Hoag's  farm,  1; 
Silas  Burtis,  1;  Ichabod  Humstead,  1;  Zebulon  Crane,  1;  Sam- 
uel Field,  4;  Uriah  Townsend,  1;  Robert  Townsend,  4;  Benj. 
Sears,  4;  Samuel  Bangs,  6:  Samuel  Elwell,  2;  Seth  Nickerson, 
6;  Peter  Hall,  4:  John  Field,  7;  Noah  Smith,  2;  Joshua  Bea- 
man,  3;  Isaac  Elwell,  3;  Anthony  Gage,  1;  Jabez  Elwell,  2;  Ebe- 
nezer  Benedict,  1;  Benj.  Haviland,  6;  Joshua  Barnum,  Jr.,  1; 
Moss  Kent,  2;  John  Corly,  1;  Seth  Sears,  2;  Samuel  Hall,  3; 
Nathan  Green,  Jr.,  3,  John  Haviland,  1;  Tho.  Higgins,  2;  Ebe- 
nezer  Ryder,  2;  Seth  Nickerson,  2;  Benj.  Higgins,  2;  Joseph 
Hall,  7;  Charles  Cullen,  4;  Jonathan  Green,  1;  John  Purdy,  1; 
Tho.  Comstock,  4;  Nathaniel  Humstead,  1;  Wm.  Clinton,  1; 
Steph.  Morehouse,  1;  John  Foster,  1;  Tho.  Birdsall,  3;  John 
Elwell,  1;  Wm.  Penney  4;  Seth  Sears,  2;  James  Haviland,  1; 
Jonathan  Corly,  1;  Jeremiah  Burgis,  1;  Moses  Gage,  1;  Geo. 
Bentinck,  1;  Ichabod  Goremans,  1;  James  Stedwell,  1;  Isaac 
Haviland,  2;  Caleb  Spencer,  1:  Barns  Hatfield,  4;  Wm.  Field, 
4;  Zadoc  Ryder,  1;  John  Wheeler  Foster,  1;  Silvanus  Gage,  1; 
Mary  Ryder,  1;  John  Crosby,  2;  Eliakim  Barnum,  1;  Benaijah 
Tubbs,  1;  Elias Benjamen,  2;  Jonathan  Paddock's  farm,  1;  Daniel 
Gage,  1;  Eleagar  Burlison,  1;  Daniel  Griffin,  1;  Daniel  Burtis, 
1;  Tho.  Haviland,  2;  on  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kent's  farm,  Conon,  1, 
Knott,  1;  English,  1. 

"Fredericksburg  Precinct:  Elijah  Tompkins,  2;  David  Pad- 
dock, 2;  James  Dickenson,  estate,  3;  Daniel  Townsend,  1;  John 
Newbury,  6;  Josiah  Baker,  4;  David  Crosby,  3;  Joshua  Crosby, 
3;  Theophilus  Jones,  1;  Tho.  Kelley,  1;  James  Covan,  1;  Jona- 
than Kelley,  2;  Silas  Paddock,  2;  Charles  Townsend,  2;  Robert 
Townsend,  1:  Tho.  Paddock,  3;  Peter  Angevine's  estate,  4; 
Jonathan  Paddock,  4;  Jonathan  Paddock's  widow,  1;  Isaac 
Pearce,  2;  John  Yeoman's  estate,  3;  Jonathan  Bryant,  2; 
Michael  Shaw,  Jr.,  1;  David  Aikins,  4;  Heman  King,  8;  Reuben 
Kelly,  2;  Ebenezer  Robinson,  3;  John  Rhoads,  1;  Jacob  Phil- 
ipse,  Jr.,  1;  Nathan  Crosby,  4;  Hezekiah  Mead,  1;  Tho.  Fow- 
ler, 2;  Daniel  Brundage,  5;  Jeremiah  Whitney,  2;  Ebenezer 
Bro\Vn,  1;  Reuben  Crosby,  2;  Peter  Bunker,  1;  Joseph  North- 
rop, 2;  Hezekiah  Mead,  2;  Robert  Hughson,  3;  James  Covey, 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  123 

2;  Peter  Maybee,  3;  Joseph.  Ganung,  2;  Ebenezer  Jone's  widow, 
2;   Cornelius  Fuller,   2;  John  Dickenson,   7;   Wm.   Palmer,  2; 
Robert  Mooney,  1;  Tho.  Smith,  4;  Wm.  Penney,  3;  Isaac  Chap- 
man, 1;  Edmund  Batner,  2;  Moody  Howse,  4;  Elisha  Cole,  5; 
Simeon  Ellis,  2;    Samuel  Peters,   6;    Benjamin  Townsend,    2; 
Robert  Shaw,   2;    Peter  Badeau,   3;   Jabez  Berry,   2;   Michael 
Slott,  3;  Wm.  Hill,  10;  John  Minch,  3;  Peleg  Weekson  (Wixon), 
1;  John  Jean,  2;  Jeremiah  Hughson,  3;  Widow  Hill,   1;  Jona- 
than Hopkins,  2;  Caleb  Fowler,  8;  Abraham  Maybee,  Jr.,  2; 
Daniel  Bull,  4;  Ebenezer  Bennett,  1;  John  Garrison,  1;  Edward 
Rice,  4;  Josiah  Swift,  2;  Solomon  Jenkins,  4;  Solomon  Field, 
4;  Nehemiah  Jones,   4;    David  Crosby,  Jr.,   4;  Moss  Kent,  7; 
Joseph  Vickney,  1;  Barzillai  King,  2;  Isaac  Lounsbury,  7;  Wm. 
Merritt,  3;  John  Lounsbury,  4;  Andrew  Rubly,  1;  Jacob  Ellis, 
2;  Moses  Fowler,  9;  Ebenezer  Lock  wood,  2;  David  Hawkins,  1; 
Gilbert  Dickenson,  estate,  4;  Tho.  Adams,  1;  Capt.  Brown,  2; 
Joseph  Colwell,   3;    Solomon  Hopkins,  5;    Wm.   Underbill,  2; 
Caleb  Palmer,  1;  Henrj'^  Wooden,  3;  Elisha  Cool,  Jr.,  2;  Charles 
Anwah,  3;  Moses  Mead,  1;  James  Baldwin,  1;  Richard  Airs,  1; 
James  Carl,  2;  Timothy  Hatch,  2;  Zebulon  Bass's  widow,   1; 
Isaac  Secor,  2;  John  Bates,  1;  Seth  Paddock,  4;  Elijah  Week- 
son   (Wixon),   1;  Christopher  Townsend,    1;  Isaac   Barritt,    1 
Benoni  Gray,  1;  Tho.  Baxter's  estate,  1;  Andrew  Beardsley,  1 
Tho.  Menzies,  13;    Roswell  Wilcox,   4;    Michael  Nowland,  1 
James  Calkins,  1;  Benjamin  Birdsall,  3;   Joseph  Hawkins,  2 
Johnson  Dakin,  1;  Elijah  Fuller,  2;  Jacob  Maybee,  estate,  1 
John  Kelley,  2;  Nathan  Cool,  2;  Charity  Austin,  Moses  Knap, 
3;  JohnTerril,  5;  Daniel  Peane,  2;  Joshua  Burdock,  1;  Jedediah 
Willis,  2;  Caleb  Vail,  2;  David  Cowen,  2;  Robert  Wright,  2; 
Daniel  Knap,  3;  Lemuel  Wilmott,  estate,  2;  John  Dean,  1;  John 
Dan,  1;  Phineas  Baker,  1;  Matthew  Patterson,  3;  John  McLean, 
2;  Hackaliah  Merritt,   3;  Wm.  Braidy,  4;  Nathan  Disbrow,  1; 
John  Carpenter,  4;  Richard  Williams,  1;  John  Wilson,  1;  Da- 
vid Merrick,  2;  John  Yeomans,  1;  John  Thomas  Craft,  1;  Samuel 
Rhoa.ds,   4;    Samuel  Dickenson,   4;  Timothy   Delavan,  2;  Tho. 
Furguson,   1;   Isaac  Merritt,   1;  Reuben  Chase,  1;    Theodorus 
Crosby,   3;  Malcom  Morrison,  12;   Wm.   Yeomans,  2;  Samuel 
Washburn,     6;     James    Barret,     1;     Jonathan    Stockman,    1; 
Jeremiah    Burgis,    3  ;     Isaac    Rushny,    1;     Samuel    Carl,     2 ; 
Abner    Crosby,    2;     Abner    Crosby,    Jr.,    2;     John    Birdsall, 
estate,   2;    Alexander  Menzie's  estate,    4;    Stephen    Field,    7; 


124  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Nehemiah  Wood,  2y  John  Tompkins,  1;    James  Townsend, 
1;    James  Forster,   2;    John  Studwell,    4;     Robert   Watts,   4 
Henry  Luddington,  4;  David  Heacock,  2;   Joshua  Conklin,  2 
Matthew  Lane's  farm,  1;  Joseph  Philipse,  3;  Isaac   Austin,  1 
Samuel  Horton,  1;  Zachariah  Paddock,  2;  Timothy  Shaw,  2 
Nathaniel  Dickerson's  widow,  1;  Joseph  Cool,  2;   Samuel  Knif- 
fen,  2;  Lazarus  Griffin,  Jr.,  1;  Uriah  Raymond,  2;  George  Pen- 
ney, 1;  Israel  Wood,  estate,  4;  Daniel  Seelass,  2;  John  Town- 
send,    2;    Richard    Truesdill,    2;      Dennis    Wright.    4;    Asa 
Hains,     2;    Caleb    Dean,    1;  Tho.    Carl,    estate,    3;     Comfort 
Luddington,   2;    Daniel   Wilson,    3;    Wm.    Colwell,    3;    John 
Piatt,  2;  Oliver  Mead,    1;  Tho.  Lynch,  2;  John  Crane,  3;  John 
Wright,  near   J.  Griffin,    3;    Daniel    Robert,  3;    Tho.  Peters, 
estate,  2;  Daniel  Ketchum,   3;  John  Sinclair,  2;  Tho.  Kirkham, 
2;  Wm.   Calkins,  2;   Samuel  Terry,   2;   John  Terry,  1  ;  David 
Fuller,  1;  Tho.  Hall,  3;  David  Frost,  2;  Wm.  Mead,  1;  Charles 
Surine,  2;  John  Clark,  2;  Levi  Townsend,  1;  Henry  Laight,  1; 
Silvanus  Kelly,  1;  Zebedee  Kelly,  1;  Joshua  Philips,  2;  James 
Eggleston,   1;  Joseph  Dykeman,  2;  David  Vickney,  1;  Jehiel 
Stei)hens,  1;  Tertullus  Dickenson,  13;  Charles  Agor,  1;  Samuel 
Jones,    2;     Tho.    Nickerson,     1;    Matthew    Bump,    1;    Gilbert 
Gannung,    estate,    1;   Alexander    Kidd,    3;    Charles   Theal,    3; 
Abraham  Moo  (?),  1;  Lemuel  Fuller,  2;  Wm.  Jones,  1;  Edward 
Arnold,  1;  Jeremiah  Bailey,  1;  Jacob  Gannung,  1;  James  Cox, 
9;  Josiah  Gregory,  1;  Samuel  Jenkins,  1;  Josiah  Aikin's  farm, 
1;    Duncan    McGregory,    1;    Ebenezer  Washburn,   1;    Robert 
Puller,    2;    Solomon  Byington,    1;    Stephen   Baker,    2;    Isaac 
Everitt,  2;    Samuel  Bang's  farm,  1;  James  Birdsall,  2;  David 
Wells,  1;  Mahar  Nelson,  2;  Comfort  Chad  wick,  1;  David  Hill, 
1;  Silas  Austin,  1;  Nathaniel  Rubly,   1;  Seth  Paddock,   Jr.,  2; 
Nathan  Palmer,  1;  David  Fowler,  3;  Joseph  Sunderland,  estate, 
1;  Peter  Win,  1;  Isaac  Bates,  1;  Moses  Knap,   Jr.,  estate,  2; 
Wm.  Wooden,  2;  Nathan  Paddock,  1;  John  Maybee,  2;  David 
Waterbury,   2;   Ezekiel  Dean,  2;    Josiah  Baker,  Jr.,  2;  John 
Fuller,   1;  Isaiah  Hopkins,  1;  John  Smith,  1;  Charles  Arvah, 
Jr.,  2;  Zebulon  Kirkham,  2;  Jacob  Kniflen,  4;  Shubell  Week- 
son,  1;  John  Barrett,  1;  Jonathan  Parrish,  2;  David  Kelly,  1; 
John   White,    1;   Peleg  Bailey,    1;    Obadiah   Chase,    2;    Tho. 
Hinkley,  1;  John  Warring,  4;  Roger  Morris,  estate,  12;  Absalom 
Yeomans,  1;  John  Smith,  1;  Josiah  Jones,  2;  Peter  Brewer,  1; 
John  Dan,  Jr.,  1;  David  King,  1;  John  Secor,  2;-  Simeon  Tryon, 


gejs^eral  histort.  125 

1;  John  Frost,  2;  Nathaniel  Sinclair,  3;  Nathaniel  Finch,  1; 
Frederick  Pickney,  1;  Jeremiah  Mead,  1;  Samuel  Haines,  1; 
Samuel  Bruyster,  1;  John  Haines,  2;  John  Gannung,  1;  Oliver 
Bates,  1;  Caleb  Hazen,  2;  Elijah  Townsend,  1;  Joseph  Chandler, 
1;  Ephraim  Nickerson,  1;  Isaac  Everitt,  Jr.,  1;  George  Everitt, 
1;  John  Field's  farm,  2;  John  Tweedy' s  farm,  2;  Gilbert 
Hyatt,  1;  John  Williams'  estate,  2;  Elijah  Oakley,  2;  Increase 
Bennett,  1;  David  Smith,  2;  Isaac  Birdsall,  1;  Wm.  Palmer,  Jr., 
1;  Eli  Crosby.  2;  Wm.  Lovelace,  1;  Zebnlon  Washburn,  2; 
Abraham  Birdsall,  1;  Peter  Anderson,  4;  Joseph  Gregory,  2; 
Lewis  Ferguson,  1;  Wm.  Griffin,  1;  Gilbert  Merritt,  1;  Edward 
Penney,  2;  Nehemiah  Smith,  2;  John  Philipse.  2;  Samuel 
Gregory,  1;  Reuben  Hinkley,  1;  David  Garrison,  1;  Daniel 
Cool,  2;  Samuel  Jones,  Jr.,  1;  Amos  Burlison,  1;  Eleazer  Hamb 
lin,  2;  Elnathan  Doane,  1;  James  Bryer,  1;  Abraham  Hill,  2; 
Wm.  Springer,  estate,  1;  Samuel  Hitchcock,  estate,  1;  Jonathan 
Burtis,  1;  Joshua  Calkins,  1;  John  Raymond,  1;  Peter  Roberts, 
1;  Reuben  Ferris,  5;  Cornbury  Merritt,  1;  Stephen  Umsted,  1; 
Joseph  Fid,  4;  Elisha  Giflford,  1;  John  Green,  1;  Isaac  Smith's 
estate,  2;  Stephen  Paddock,  1;  Nathan  Sturdevant,  1;  Jacob 
Disbury,  1;  Allen  Cameron,  estate,  2;  Dr.  Samuel  and  Richard 
Bryant,  2;  John  Stuart,  1;  Joseph  White,  1;  John  Lester,  1; 
Solomon  Crosby,  3;  John  Kent,  6;  Moses  Buckley,  2;  James 
Dickenson,  Jr.,  3;  Freeman  Hopkins,  2;  Elisha  Smith,  1;  Henry 
Baldwin,  1;  Joel  Mead,  3;  Gilbert  Drew,  2;  Richard  Price,  2; 
Samuel  Couklin,  1;  Caleb  Peers,  1;  Nathaniel  Bailey,  1;  Elijah 
Hunt,  1;  Wm.  Hitchcock,  1;  Anthony  Hill,  1;  Joseph  Matthews, 
1;  Jacob  Birdsall,  1;  James  Surine,  1;  Justus  Barrett,  1;  Richard 
Barker,  1;  Jedediah  Davis,  estate,  1;  Nathan  Teed,  1;  Moses 
Wint;er,  2;  Joshua  Merrick,  2;  Samuel  Towner,  5;  Josiah 
Crosby,  1;  Moses  Richards,  3;  Ezra  Smith,  2;  Husted  on 
Hunt's  farm,  3;  John  Slott's  estate,  2;  Uriah  Wright's  estate, 
2;  John  Lamorieau,  2;  John  Berry,  l;-Job  Burlison,  1;  Solomon 
Lockwood,  2;  Eleazar  Baker,  2;  Daniel  Doane,  1;  John  Bea 
(Beyea),  2;  Amos  Fuller,  2;  Isaac  Gannung,  2;  Joshua  Main,  2; 
Jeremiah  Burtis,  2;  Isaac  Townsend,  1;  Jacob  Mead,  3;  Con- 
stant Nickerson' s  estate,  1;  John  Robinson,  near  Robinson's 
store,  1;  James  Darby,  1;  Wm.  Peters  estate,  2;  Wm.  Birdsall, 
1;  Moody  Howes,  Jr.,  1;  James  Green,  2;  Nathaniel  Paddock, 
1;  John  Holliday,  1;  John  McLean  on  Capt.  McDonald's  farm, 
2;  Mr.  David  Cloos,   2;   John  Henderson,   1;    John   Chase,    1; 


126  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Thadeus  Warring,  1;  Peter  Hatfield,  4;  Jacob  Reede,  2;  Henry 
Lockwood,  1;  Benjamin  Cheeseman,  2;  Wm.  Craft's  estate, 
1;  Elisha  Baldwin,  2;  Marcus  Brundage,  1;  Joseph  Hop- 
kins, 1;  Tho.  Russell,  1;  Jolm  Vermilya,  2;  Solomon 
Kirkham,  1;  Elisha  Harris,  1;  Henry  Lewis,  2;  Joseph 
Hitchcock  at  the  store,  1;  "Wm.  Hudden,  1;  Samuel 
Gifl'ord,  1;  James  Crawford,  1;  Major  Simpkins,  1;  John 
Barrit,  Jr.,  1;  Daniel  Gregory,  2;  Solomon  Wood,  1;  Ben- 
jamin Dean,  1;  James  Haight,  1;  Henry  Craft's  estate,  1; 
Henry  Charlock,  1;  Thomas  Horton,  1;  Joseph  Moss,  1;  Wm. 
Carl,  2;  John  Price,  1;  Zebulon  Townsend,  1;  Ammiel  Penny, 
2;  Jabish  Chase,  1;  Oliver  Pox,  1;  John  Crap,  1;  Samuel  Peer's 
estate,  2;' Abraham  Covert,  2;  Richard  Chapman,  2;  Conrad 
Harps,  estate,  1;  Wm.  Hughson,  1;  James  Barrit,  Jr.,  1; 
Ezekiel  Bugbee,  2;  Wm.  Barrit,  1;  Doctor  Hamilton,  1;  John 
Merrit,  2;  Zebulon  Wright,  1;  Peter  Arvah,  1;  Wm.  Yermilyer, 
1;  Stephen  Hyatt,  1;  John  Munrow,  1;  Isaac  Chase,  1;  Shubael 
Dimmock,  1;  John  Utter,  1;  James  Wilson,  5;  David  North,  2; 
Eli  Woods,  2;  Benjamin  Golden,  estate,  3;  Wm.  Snow,  1;  Sil- 
vanus  Travis,  1;  Tho.  Swain,  1;  Joel  Borland,  1;  Northrop 
Fuller,  1;  Eliston  on  Zophar  Ketcham' s  farm,  1;  Isaiah  Bennet, 
1;  Jabez  Smith,  1;  Isaac  Purdoe,  1;  Caleb  Brundage,  1;  Eleazar 
Hazen,  2;  Daniel  Brundage,  Jr.,  1;  Tho.  Gregory,  1;  Samuel 
Wilson,  1;  Isaac  Fuller,  1;  Wm.  Lawrence,  2;  Mary  Haines, 
widow,  1;  Noah  Hill,  1;  Robert  Craig' s  estate,  1;  Amos  Towns- 
end,  1;  Elnathan  Gregory,  1;  Israel  Knap,  2;  Benjamin  Knap, 
1;  Joseph  Randell,  1;  Tho.  Carl,  Jr.,  estate,  1;  Wm.  Dutton,  1; 
John  Shaw,  1;  Wm.  Palconier,  1;  Tho.  Ellis,  1;  Johnson  Yeo- 
mans,  1;  Richard  Sturdevant,  1;  Ezekiel  Kirkham,  1;  John 
Ferguson,  1;  Jacob  Sagua,  estate,  1;  Tho.  Donaldson,  estate,  1; 
Stephen  Booth,  1;  Zophar  Kirkham,  1;  Enoph  Shaw,  1;  Daniel 
Crawford,  1;  Philip  Smith,  1;  Joseph  Hitchcock,  Jr.,  1;  Hen- 
drick  Slott,  1;  Samuel  Haight,  1;  James  McFarland,  1;  John 
Langdon,  1;  Rachael  Simmins,  2;  Joshua  Brundage,  1;  Uriah 
Townsend,  1;  Nathan  Disbury,  Jr.,  1;  Moses  Crosby,  1;  Eph- 
raim  Jones,  2;  John  Vermilya  on  Dickinson's  farm,  1;  Absalom 
Simmons,  2;  David  Aikin,  Jr.,  1;  Mr.  James  Sayer's  estate,  2; 
Peter  Chapman,  estate,  1;  Stephen  Griflith,  1;  Beverly  Robin- 
son, Jr.,  farm,  10;  The  Mungis  farm,  1;  Wm.  Higbee,  2;  John 
Brown,  1;  John  Place,  1;  Ebenezer  Cole,  1;  Nathaniel  Jenkins, 
1;  Russell  Gregory,  1;  Seth  Kirkham,  1;  Samuel  Kniffen,  Jr., 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  127 

1;  Joshua  Gregory,  1;  Isaac  Slott,  1;  Gilbert  Shaw,  1;  Marcus 
Barrit,  1;  George  Curry  Sen.,  1;  John  Thurston,  1. 

"Philipse  Precinct:— Wm.  Davenport,  1;  Jacob  Mandeville, 
8;  John  Rogers,  3;  Timothy  Conklin,  6;  Thomas  Davenport,  15; 
Capt.  Peter  Dubois,  12;  John  Van  Amburg,  estate,  4;  George 
Lane,  3;  Isaac  Rhoads,  5;  Christopher  Fow^ler,  1;  John  Nelson, 
2;  Wm.  Dusenbury,  5;  Richard  Hopper,  1;  Samuel  Drake,  Jr.^ 
1;  Solomon  Smith,  2;  Joseph  Husted,  7;  Beverly  Robinson, 
70;  Tho.  Saris,  1;  Caleb  Nelson,  3;  Peter  Drake's  farm,  2;  John 
Armstrong,  2;  Wm.  Gee,  3;  Robert  Oakly,  1;  John  Win,  1;  Reu- 
ben Bunn,  1;  John  Birger,  1;  Philip  Steenbaugh,  1;  Nathaniel 
J  agger,  1;  Benjamin  Bloomer,  1;  Samuel  Yeomans,  1;  Moses 
Dusenbury,  5;  Henridge's  widow,  2;  Gilbert  Budd,  2;  Wm. 
Wright,  3;  Jonathan  Pine,  Jr.,  1;  John  Avery,  2;  Richard  Din- 
nis,  5;  Israel  Knap,  3;  Jonathan  Odell,  1;  Wm.  Colgrove,  2; 
John  McDonald,  1;  Samuel  Warren,  2;  David  Lane's  farm,  2; 
Anthony  Field,  2;  Widow  ArkiU,  1;  Gilbert  Oakley,  1;  Samuel 
Jenkins,  1;  Joseph  Knap,  1;  Ezekiel  Gee,  2;  Thomas  Sutton,  1; 
John  Barton  1;  Albert  Surine,  1;  John  Still  Purdy,  1;  Samuel 
Crommill,  2;  Isaac  Hall's  estate,  2;  Thomas  Bashford,  1;  Martin 
Hazleton,  1;  Abraham  Craft,  1;  Peter  Bill,  2;  Henry  Post,  1; 
Caleb  Hamson,  2;  John  Boice,  1;  Wm.  Lancaster,  1;  Uriah 
Mitchell,  1;  Peter  Ricks,  2;  Jeremiah  Sherwood,  1;  John  Sher- 
wood, 1;  Gabriel  Archer,  2;  Jonathan  Wright,  2;  Nathaniel 
Tompkins,  2;  Hannah  Knap,  5;  Joseph  Crorawells'  estate,  2; 
Caleb  Pells'  farm,  2;  Uriah  Drake's  farm,  2;  Joshua  Tompkins, 
2;  Benjamin  Odell,  1;  Matthew  McCaby,  1;  Lewis  Jones,  1;  Tho. 
Woodward's  farm,  1;  Justus  Nelson,  3;  Joshua  Nelson,  5;  Wm. 
Van  Tassel,  1;  John  Meeks,  4;  Joshua  Lamoraux,  1;  John  Gar- 
rison, 1;  Reuben  Drake,  4;  Thomas  Bryant,  1;  Richard  Arnold, 
2;  Sibert  Kornkhyt,  2;  Anthony  Yeomans,  1;  Cornelius  Tomp- 
kins, 4;  Micaiah  Avery,  1;  Tho.  Williams,  1;  Joseph  Haight, 
5;  Joseph  Sherwood's  farm,  2;  Joseph  Smith,  2;  Peter  Warren, 
2;  Gilbert  Bloomer,  2;  John  Gray,  1;  Jacob  Armstrong,  1; 
Oliver  Odell,  1;  Abraham  Post,  2;  John  Drake,  3;  Stephen 
Conklin,  2;  Jedediah  Ford,  1;  Jeremiah  McKudney,  1;  Col. 
Brinkerhoff's  farm,  1;  Elijah  Smith,  1;  Silvanus  Haight,  2; 
Wm.  Shaw,  1;  John  Haight,  3;  John  Likely,  3;  Silvanus  Tomp- 
kins, 1;  Thomas  Hill,  1;  John  Agard,  1;  Elijah  Dinge,  1; 
Stephen  Lawrence,  1;  Wm.  White,  1;  James  Jaycocks,  1;  Isaac 
Odell,  2;  Daniel  Wilsie,  2;  Nathaniel  Anderson,  1;  Peter  Birger, 


128  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUWTr. 

2;  Elijah  Budd,  2;  Jolin  HoUiday,  1;  Peter  Montross,  1;  Law- 
rence Powers,  1;  Timothy  Oakley,  1;  Wm.  Chatterton,  1;  Isaac 
Washburn,  2;  Henry  Wilsie,  2;  John  Comill,  1;  David  Hannin, 
1;  Daniel  Haight,  1;  Tho.  Hannin,  1;  Reuben  Tompkins,  1; 
James  Bashford,  1;  Joshua  Mead,  1;  Andrew  Doane,  1;  Moses 
Dusenbury,  Jr.,  1;  Jeremiah  White,  1;  Nathan  Lane,  1;  Mat- 
thew Snooks,  1;  Nathaniel  Post,  1;  John  Ruch,  1;  Robert 
Porter,  1;  Daniel  Bugbee,  2;  Tho.  Davenport,  Jr.,  1;  Benjamin 
Rogers,  2;  John  Hopper,  1;  Jonathan  Owens,  1;  Joseph  Bard, 
1;  Peter  Tei'rel,  1;  James  Mead,  1;  Nathan  Lane,  Jr.,  1;  Elisha 
Lamoreaux,  2;  Jonathan  Austin,  1;  Jonathan  Miller,  1;  Peter 
Snouck,  1;  Isaac  Krankhuyt,  1;  James  Nelson,  1;  Widow  Ar- 
kill,  1. 

"The  foregoing  list  signed  by  the  following  Assessors: — 
Jonathan  Dinnis,  John  Colkins,  John  Gr.  Brinkerhoff,  Peter 
Low,  Joseph  Carpenter,  Tho.  Baldwin,  Nathan  Birdsall,  James 
Winchell,  Benjamin  Sherman,  John  Van  Kleek,  Zacheus  New- 
comb,  David  Crosby,  Jr.,  Jabez  Berry,  Isaiah  J.  Tall  man,  Icha- 
bod  Pain,  Matthew  Van  Bunschoten,  David  Van  Ness,  Wm. 
Radlist. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  above  assessment  affords  no  in- 
formation as  to  the  actual  amount  of  property  possessed  by  the 
persons  named.  The  same  might  possibly  be  said  of  assess- 
ment rolls  in  more  modern  times,  but  the  proportion  was  prob- 
ably fair.  We  might  remark  the  great  wealth  of  Beverly  Rob- 
inson, when  we  compare  his  assessment  of  £70  with  that  of 
Thomas  Davenport,  £16,  the  next  highest  on  the  list. 

The  population  of  Putnam   county  in  1790  was  as  follows 
Frederickstown,    5932;     Philipstown,    2079;     Southeast,      921 
total,  8932;  in  1800:  Carmel,  1979;  Kent,  1661;  Patterson,  1506 
Philipstown,  2754;  Southeast,  1956;  total,  9896;  in  1810:  Carmel, 
2020;  Kent,   1811;  Patterson,  1446;    Philipstown,   3129;  South- 
east, 1887;  total,  10293;  in  1814:  Carmel,  1763;  Kent,  1119;  Pat- 
terson,  1557;    Philipstown,  3144;  Southeast,   1770;  total,   9353; 
in  1820:    Carmel,  2247;    Kent,  1801;    Patterson,   1578;  Philips- 
town,  3733;  Southeast,  1909;  total,  11268;  in  1825:  Carmel,  2192; 
Kent,    1794;    Patterson,    1572;    Philipstown,   4418;    Southeast, 
1890;  total,  11866;  in  1830,  Carmel,  2371;  Kent,  1931;  Patterson, 
1539;  Philipstown,  4761;  Southeast,  2036;  total  12638;  in  1835; 
Carmel,  2163:  Kent,  1661;  Patterson,   1347;  Philipstown,   4562; 
Southeast,   1818;    total,    11551;   in   1840:    Carmel,   2263;    Kent, 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  129 

1830;  Patterson,  1349;  Philipstown,  3814;  Putnam  Valley,  1659 
Southeast,  1910;  total,  12825;  in  1845:  Carmel,  2389;  Kent,  1729 
Patterson,  1289;  Philipstown,  4209;  Putnam  Valley,  1598 
Southeast,  2044;  total,  13258;  in  1850:  Carmel,  2442;  Kent,  1557 
Patterson,  1371;  Philipstown,  5063;  Putnam  Valley,  1629 
Southeast,  2076;  total,  14138;  in  1855:  Carmel,  2406;  Kent,  1539 
Patterson,  1422;  Philipstown,  4809;  Putnam  Valley,  1573 
Southeast,  2185;  total,  13934;  in  1860:  Carmel,  2559;  Kent,  1479 
Patterson,  1501;  Philipstown,  4530;  Putnam  Valley,  1582 
Southeast,  2350;  total,  14001;  in  1865;  Carmel,  2240;  Kent 
1473;  Patterson,  1476;  Philipstown,  5436;  Putnam  Valley,  1622 
Southeast,  2598;  total,  14845;  in  1875:  Carmel,  2800;  Kent,  1415 
Patterson,  1523;  Philipstown,  5156;  Putnam  Valley,  1843 
Southeast,  3062;  total,  15799. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ROADS  AND  FERRIES. 

THE  want  of  suitable  roads  was  for  long  years  after  the  set- 
tlement a  great  hindrance  to  the  spread  of  population. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  many  of  the  travelled  roads 
followed  trails  that  had  been  made  by  the  Indians,  with  all 
their  devious  turnings.  For  all  purposes  of  trade  between  New 
York  and  Albany  the  Hudson  River  was  the  great  highway,  and 
a  journey  between  those  places  by  land  was  long,  tedious  and 
even  dangerous.  In  1703,  the  Provincial  Legislature  passed  an 
"  Act  for  the  Laying  out.  Regulating,  Clearing,  and  Preserving 
Publick  Common  Highways  throughout  the  Colony."  Under 
this  act  a  public  highway  was  established  the  length  of  Long 
Island,  another  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson  River  to  Albany, 
and  a  third  which  is  thus  described: 

"And  one  other  Publick  and  Common  General  Highway,  to 
extend  from  Kings  Bridge  in  the  County  of  Westchester  through 
the  same  County  of  Westchester,  Dutchess  County  and  the 
County  of  Albany,  of  the  breadth  of  four  rods  English  measure 
at  the  least,  to  be,  continue  and  remain  forever,  the  Publick 
Common  General  Road  and  Highway  from  Kings  Bridge  afore- 
said," to  the  ferry  at  Crawlier  over  against  the  City  of  Albany." 

The  act  went  on  to  provide  for  the  appointment  of  commis- 
sioners to  perform  the  work,  those  for  Dutchess  county  being, ' 
"Mr.  Balthus  Van  Clift,  Mr.  Johannes  Tarbus  and  Mr.  Robert 
Livingston."  These  highways  being  made  in  the  i-eign  of  Queen 
Anne,  were  at  first  called  the  Queen's  roads.  But  the  one  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river  was  generally  known  in  after  times  as 
the  Albany  Post  road,  which  name  it  still  retains.  Among  the 
local  officers  elected  in  the  old  "  South  Precinct"  a  "  Surveyor 
of  the  King's  road,"  was  one. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Albany  Post  road,  the  first  high- 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  131 

ways  in  this  county  were  laid  out  in  1744,  by  David  Hustis  and 
Francis  Nelson,  two  commissioners  appointed  for  that  purpose. 
These,  which  are  recorded  iu  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  Dutchess, 
afford  a  clue  to  many  early  landmarks,  the  memory  of  which 
has  passed  away. 

"  We  Francis  Nelson  and  David  Hustis  being  two  of  the  com- 
missioners for  laying  out  roads  in  the  South  Precinct  have  at 
the  request  of  divers  persons  laid  out  the  following  highways 
as  follows,  viz. : 

"Beginning  at  Thomas  Cercomes  house,  from  thence  by 
marked  trees  to  Ephraim  Forgeson's,  on  Cortlandt  Manor. 

"Another  road  beginning  at  the  farm  of  Eli  Nelson  from 
thence  by  marked  trees  to  Nathan  Lane's,  on  the  line  of  Cort- 
landt, thence  down  the  line  to  the  Shrub  plain. 

"Also  one  road  beginning  at  the  west  branch  of  Croton  river 
at  a  bridge,  from  thence  by  marked  trees  down  to  Joseph 
Travers,  then  running  down  the  division  line  through  the  still 
water'  to  said  Forgeson's. 

' '  One  other  road  beginning  at  the  deep  brook  or  Roge  kill, 
from  thence  by  marked  trees  through  pussapanun",  thence  to 
Daton's  hills. 

"  Also  one  other  road  beginning  at  Hendrick  Brewers  at  pus- 
sapanun  by  marked  trees  to  Daton's  hills. 

"  Also  one  other  road  beginning  at  Sibert  Cronkhyt's  at  ye 
Indian  road.  Beginning  at  Joseph  Jaycox  from  thence  by 
marked  trees  to  the  King's  road  at  Joseph  Areles. 

"One  other  road  beginning  below  pussapanun,  at  Joseph 
Cronkhyt's  house  by  marked  trees  to  Daton's  mill. 

"Performed  by  us  the  said  commissioners  the  28th  day  of 
April,  1744." 

To  locate  all  the  landmarks  in  the  above  description  would 
seem  a  hopeless  task.  "Thomas  Cercomes"  was  probably  at 
Red  mills.  Sibert  Cronkhy t  probably  lived  on  the  north  bounds 
of  Westchester  county. 

In  1745,   the  commissioners  were  Adolph  Philipse,  Thomas- 
Davenport  and  James  Dickenson,  and  in  that  year  they  laid  out 
the  following  roads: 

"  A  highway  beginning  at  the  division    line  between  Esq. 

'The  "  still  water  "  is  south  of  Mahopac  Falls. 

^Pussapanun  was  the  Indian  name  for  what  is  now  Union  Valley  in  the  town 
of  Carmel. 


132  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

PMlipse  Patent  and  Col.  Beekman's  precinct,  near  ye  east  part 
of  ye  precinct  where  ye  path  is  now  used,  so  by  marked  trees 
and  stakes  to  Cortlandt  Patent. 

' '  A  highway  from  James  Dickerson'  s  by  marked  trees  to 
Cortlandt  Patent. 

"A  highway  from  James  Dickerson' s  by  marked  trees  to 
Ridgefield  new  purchase. 

"  A  highway  beginning  at  ye  division  of  ye  two  counties  near 
by  Elihu  Townsend's  at  a  white  oak  tree,  on  ye  east  side  of  ye 
highway,  from  thence  to  a  white  oak  tree,  then  to  Elihu  Towns- 
end's  fence  to  his  corner,  as  ye  fence  now  stands,  then  with  the 
middle  line  of  the  Oblong  until  it  meets  with  Danbury  highway, 
from  thence  by  marked  trees  over  Joes  Hill,  so  called,  until 
it  meets  with  ye  highway  that  comes  from  Wostershire',  so 
called. 

"  A  highway  beginning  at  ye  bridge  by  John  Dickerson' s,  so 
by  marked  trees  until  it  comes  to  Crane's  Mills,  from  thence  by 
marked  trees  to  ye  bridge  by  Jeremiah  Calkins. 

' '  A  highway  from  Crane' s  Mills  by  marked  trees  to  Ridge- 
field new  purchase. 

' '  A  highway  beginning  at  Ed^vard  Grays,  so  by  marked  trees 
to  ye  Meeting  house,  from  thence  to  ye  west  Branch  of  Croten 
by  marked  trees  meeting  with  ye  highway  that  has  already  been 
laid  out  near  by  Hamblins. 

"A  highway  from  Shaws  by  marked  trees  to  Frost  mills, 
from  thence  to  Sprages. 

' '  A  highway  from  ye  bridge  by  John  Dickerson' s,  so  by 
marked  trees  to  the  Meeting  house,  from  thence  by  marked 
trees  to  Elijah  Tompkins. 

' '  A  highway  beginning  near  by  Taylor' s,  so  by  marked  trees 
until  it  meets  with  ye  highway  that  comes  from  ye  Great  Swamp 
by  William  Herns. 

"  A  highway  by  marked  trees  from  Wm.  Herns  on  ye  north 
side  of  ye  Bear  swamp,  so  called,  until  it  meets  with  Madam 
Britts  line. 

' '  A  highway  by  marked  trees  from  Madam  Britts  line  to  the 
Horse  pound,  so  called,  from  thence  to  Shaws,  and  from  ye 
Horse  pound  to  Croten  river  by  marked  trees. 

"A  highway  beginning  at  Joseph  Lee's,  by  marked  trees  to 
Wostershire  highway. 

'  Worcester. 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  133 

"A  highway  from  Samuel  Field's  farm  to  ye  highway  that 
leads  to  Daubiiry. 

"A  highway  from  James  Dickerson's  farm  to  ye  highway 
that  leads  to  Cortlandt  line. 

"  A  highway  from  James  Paddocks  to  Connecticut  line  by 
marked  trees." 

Some  of  the  locations  in  the  above  description  can  be  identified. 
James  Bickerson  lived  a  little  south  of  what  is  known  as  Sodom 
Corners,  in  Southeast.  The  highway  "  from  Col.  Beekman's 
precinct  to  Cortlandt  Patent,"  is  the  one  that  runs  from  Patter- 
son south,  nearly  along  the  west  bounds  of  the  Oblong.  Elihu 
Townsend  lived  at  the  extreme  southeast  corner  of  the  county. 
The  "bridge  by  John  Dickerson's  "  was  at  the  Southeast  Center 
or  Sodom.  Crane's  Mills  were  on  the  Croton  River  north  of 
"Joes  Hill,"  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  Sodom  Corners. 
The  "Meeting  house"  was  the  old  log  church  which  stood  on 
the  farm  of  James  Barnes,  one  mile  east  of  Dykeman's  Station. 
Edward  Graj^  lived  at  Doansburg,  north  of  the  church.  Elihu 
Townsend  lived  on  Lot  6,  on  the  Oblong,  close  to  the  West- 
chester county  line.  The  "  bridge  by  Jeremiah  Calkins  "  was 
at  Milltown.  "Hamblin's"  was  near  the  present  residence  of 
Ira  Crane,  west  of  Carmel.  "  Shaws  "  was  on  the  north  end  of 
Lake  Gleneida.  "Frost  Mills"  were  probably  on  the  Croton 
where  Theodore  Kelly  now  lives.  "  Sprages "  was  where 
Mr.  Le  Grand  Hughson  now  lives,  where  the  New  York  and 
Northern  Railroad  crosses  the  east  line  of  the  town  of  Carmel. 
The  highway  "from  John  Dickerson's  bridge  to  the  meeting 
house"  is  the  road  that  runs  north  over  Brewster's  Hill.  The 
road  to  Elijah  Tompkins  is  the  one  that  runs  through  "  Foggin 
town"  ;  Elijah  Tompkins  lived  north  of  Doansburg.  "  Wm. 
Herns  "  was  probably  where  Aikin's  Corners  are  now,  being  the 
east  end  of  the  road  from  Patterson  village.  .  The  road  "  from 
Wm.  Herns  to  Madam  Britts  line"  is  probably  the  main  street 
of  Patterson  and  its  continuation.  The  "Horse  pound  road" 
is  the  one  running  through  Carmel  village.  Samuel  Field  lived 
on  Lot  5,  on  the  Oblong,  near  Peach  Pond,  and  his  house  is  still 
standing.  The  highway  "from  James  Paddock's"  is  the  road 
south  of  Joe's  Hill.  James  Dickerson's  house  was  south  of  the 
bridge  over  the  Croton,  at  Southeast  Center. 

"April  ye  20th  day,  1747.     A  highway  laid  out  beginning  at 


134  HISTOKY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Abraham  Smiths,  by  marked  trees  to  the  highway  that  leads 
from  Kirkum  Mills  to  ye  Peekskill,  four  rods  wide. 

"A  highway  laid  out  beginning  at  James  Mairude's  so  by 
marked  trees  to  ye  highway  that  leads  from  Kirkum  Mills  to  ye 
Peekskill,  four  rods  wide. 

"A  highway  laid  out  beginning  at  a  former  highway  near  Eli 
Nelson's,  so  marked  by  trees  to  the  former  highway  in  Peeks- 
kill  hollow  four  rods  wide. 

"  A  highway  laid  out  beginning  near  Mickell  Shaws  so  by 
marked  trees  to  the  highway  by  Matthew  Roes,  from  thence 
through  Mr.  Hill's  farm  to  Kirkum  Mills,  four  rods  wide. 

'"*  A  highway  beginning  at  Kirkum  mills  so  by  marked  trees 
to  ye  highway  formerly  laid  out  that  leads  to  the  Peekskill  four 
rods  wide. 

"A  highway  beginning  near  Benjamin  Brundages  so  by 
marked  trees  to  Josiah  Gregory's  four  rods  wide. 

"  March  20th,  174f.  A  highway  laid  out  beginning  at  Kirkum 
mills  so  by  marked  trees  to  Peekskill  hollow,  from  thence  to 
Abraham  Smith's  from  thence  to  the  highway  that  leads  from 
Kirkum  mills  to  ye  Peekskill,  four  rods  wide. 

"A  highway  laid  out  beginning  at  Kirkum  mill  by  marked 
trees  to  ye  highway  east  of  Benjamin  Brundages,  four  rods 
wide. 

"A  highway  laid  out  beginning  at  ye  Peekskill  road,  and 
so  by  marked  trees  to  Josiah  Gregory' s,  four  rods  wide. 

"  A  highway  laid  out  beginning  at  James  Mored's  to  the 
Peekskill  hollow." 

Some  of  these  landmarks  can  be  identified.  Abraham  Smith's 
was  where  Hon.  Saxton  Smith  now  lives  in  the  town  of  Putnam 
Yalley. 

"  Kirkum' s  mills"  were  where  the  "Red  mills"  afterward 
stood,  on  the  outlet  of  Lake  Mahopac.  Michael  Shaw's  was  on 
the  north  end  of  Lake  Gleneida.  "Mr.  Hill's  farm  "  was  where 
the  Hill  Iron  Mine  now  is. 

"Nov.  11,  1748.  A  highway  laid  out  from  Capt.  Wright's 
saw  mill,  by  marked  trees  to  Peach  Pond  or  to  Westchester 
County  line. 

"  A  highway  laid  out  from  Curhelus  Fuller's  by  marked  trees 
until  it  meets  the  road  that  leads  from  ye  Long  bridge  to  Daniel 
Gray's. 

"  A  highway  from  James  Dickenson's  unto  Cortland ts  Manor. 


GENERAL   HISTOEY.  135 

"  A  highway  by  marked  trees  beginning  at  Croton  River  near 
James  Dickenson's  and  from  thenpe  to  ye  highway  by  Latham's 
four  rods  wide." 

"  Whereas  ye  inhabitants  of  the  South  Precinct  of  Dutchess 
County  did  request  several  highways  to  be  laid  out.  The  said 
commissioners  have  laid  out  the  several  highways  as  follows: 

"  Beginning  near  James  Dickenson's,  from  thence  by  marked 
trees  to  Cortlandt  Manor  by  Nathan  Bayley's,  four  rods  wide. 

"  One  more  highway  beginning  near  by  where  Doctor  Calkins 
used  to  live,  from  thence  by  marked  trees  to  ye  Oblong,  thence 
between  Nathaniel  Stevenson  and  Philipse  Patent,  to  Beekman 
precinct,  four  rods  wide. 

"One  more  highway  beginning  near  Morehouses  Mill  by 
marked  trees  to  ye  old  highway,  and  ye  old  highway  by  Greenes 
house  stopt  up. 

"One  more  highway  beginning  by  Joseph  Crane  thence  unto 
ye  highway  by  Samuel  Jones. 

"  One  more  highway  beginning  at  the  south  end  of  Nathaniel 
Stevenson's  land,  from  thence  eastward  between  Stevenson's 
land  and  Joshua  Barns  land,  four  rods  wide  to  the  middle  of 
the  Oblong." 

"Morehouses  Mill"  was  probably  at  Milltown.  The  road 
from  "  Nathaniel  Stevenson's  land  "  was  probably  the  one  that 
runs  northwest  from  Milltown  Cemetery.  In  1752,  a  highway 
was  laid  out  "beginning  at  Jonathan  Lane' s  house  and  from 
thence  by  marked  trees  to  EleazorYeomans  Mills,"  and  another 
"  beginning  at  Timothy  Shaws,  from  thence  over  the  mountains 
to  the  Fishkills."      The  same  year  the  following  were  laid  out. 

"  A  highway  from  Amos  Dickenson's  to  Jeremiah  Jones,  four 
rods  wide. 

' '  A  highway  beginning  at  the  Horse  pound  and  from  thence 
to  Amos  Fuller's  foiar  rods  wide. 

"  Another  beginning  at  John  Dickenson's  mill  from  thence  to 
the  highway  that  leads  to  the  meeting  house." 

In  1754  were  laid  out:  "A  highway  beginning  at  the  bridge 
near  Edward  Hall's  mill  on  the  Oblong,  from  thence  by  John 
Ryder's  door  to  a  stake  in  said  Ryder's  meadow,  from  thence 
between  James  Anderson's  land  and  said  Ryder's  land  as  far  as 
is  convenient  for  a  highway  to  be  made,  from  thence  as  near  to 
Rattle  snake  hill  as  is  convenient  for  a  highway  to  be  made, 
from  thence  to  the  highway  that  leads  across  Joes  Hill. 


136  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"Another  beginning  at  the  highway  that  leads  to  Robert 
Padricks  on  the  top  of  the  hill  in  John  Jones  possession,  from 
thence  to  Jacob  Finches  Bridge  and  from  thence  to  James 
Quimby,  and  from  thence  to  Thomas  Frosts." 

Another  "beginning  on  the  west  side  of  Quimby  farm  at  the 
highway  from  thence  between  John  Frosts  and  James  Quimbys 
farms  and  thence  to  Thomas  Townsends,  and  thence  to  the 
Bridge  by  Jeremiah  Baylees." 

Another  "beginning  near  Nehemiah  Woods  at  the  highway, 
and  from  thence  to  Nathaniel  Byington's  bridge." 

Another  "  beginning  at  Tho.  Higgins  and  from  thence  across 
the  hills  to  Daley  brook  so  called." 

Another  "beginning  at  Anthony  Battersons  house  from 
thence  along  the  colony  line  to  the  highway  that  leads  to 
Danbury." 

The  road  from  "Timothy  Shaws  to  Fishkill"  is  the  road 
from  Carmel  to  Kent  Cliffs  or  Boyd's  Reservoir.  The  road 
"  from  Horse  pound  to  Amos  Fuller's  "  is  now  called  Mud  road. 
"Edward  Hall's  mill"  and  "John  Ryder's"  were  both  prob- 
ably near  Milltown.  Thomas  Higgins  lived  north  of  Milltown. 
Daley  brook  flows  into  the  Croton  from  the  east  at  Milltown. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  an  act  was  passed  April  4th, 
1785,  establishing  a  stage  route  to  Albany.  "Whereas  Isaac 
Van  Wyck,  Talmage  Hall  and  John  Kinne  have  by  their  peti- 
tion prayed  that  on  Account  of  the  great  expense  and  labor 
attending  the  undertaking,  an  exclusive  right  of  carrying  on  a 
stage  from  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany,  might  be 
granted  to  them  for  the  term  of  ten  years.  And  whereas  the 
erecting  a  stage  as  aforesaid  will  tend  to  promote  the  Ease  and 
Benefit  of  the  People  of  this  State,  permission  is  granted  them 
to  run  stages  on  the  east  side  of  Hudson  River."  No  other  per- 
sons were  to  run  stages  under  penalty  of  £200,  and  they  were 
"to  provide  at  least  two  good  and  sufficient  covered  stage 
wagons,  to  be  drawn  each  by  four  able  horses."  The  fare  was 
four  pence  a  mile,  including  the  liberty  of  carrying  14  pounds  of 
baggage,  and  for  every  150  pounds  of  baggage  four  pence  a  mile 
was  to  be  charged,  and  they  were  "  to  go  at  least  once  a  week." 

A  few  years  after  the  Revolution,  and  almost  as  soon  as  the 
country  had  become  quiet  after  the  toils  of  war,  the  attention 
of  the  State  government  and  the  people  was  turned  to  the 
necessity  of  better  means  of  communication. 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  137 

Acts  were  passed  for  the  improvement  of  certain  hiigliways 
and  for  laying  out  new  ones.  A  host  of  turnpike  companies 
were  incorporated  and  every  encouragement  was  given  to  their 
enterprise.  Not  a  few  roads  were  opened  and  improved  by  the 
help  of  funds  raised  by  lotteries.  At  first  the  stock  of  the 
various  turnpike  companies  found  ready  purchasers  and  as  the 
right  of  way  cost  very  little  and  labor  was  cheap,  excellent 
roads  virere  made  in  all  directions  at  a  small  expense,  vsrhile  the 
various  laws  in  relation  to  working  on  the  common  highways 
soon  produced  a  manifest  improvement. 

The  first  turnpike  laid  out  within  the  limits  of  Putnam  county 
was  by  the  Highland  Turnpike  Company.  This  company  was 
incorporated  by  an  act  of  Legislature  passed  March  16th,  1804. 
By  its  provisions  William  Edgar,  Joseph  Howland,  Philip  Van 
Cortlandt,  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt  jr.,  William  Keymees,  William 
Street,  Daniel  Delavan,  Isaac  Van  Wyck,  Gilbert  Livingston, 
Daniel  C.  Verplanck  and  Philip  Verplanck  and  their  associates 
were  authorized  to  make  "  a  good  and  sufiicient  road  beginning 
at  or  near  the  house  of  Matthew  Gage  in  the  town  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  from  thence  across  Croton  river  near  the  house  of 
Philip  Van  Cortlandt,  and  from  thence  to  and  through  the 
village  of  Peekskill,  and  from  thence  by  the  nearest  and  most 
eligible  route,  and  as  near  the  present  post  road  as  circumstances 
will  admit  to  or  near  the  churches  in  the  town  of  Pishkill  in  the 
County  of  Dutchess."  The  official  title  was  the  "President, 
Directors  and  Company  of  the  Highland  Turnpike."  The  com- 
pany was  authorized  to  take  land  if  necessary  and  the  commis- 
sioners who  were  appointed  bj''  the  act  were  William  Edgar, 
William  Denning,  Thomas  Storm,  Philip  Van  Cortlandt,  Joseph 
Howland,  Gilbert  Livingston,  Daniel  W.  Birdsall,  Isaac  Van 
Wyck  and  William  Keymees.  The  usual  powers  were  con- 
ferred upon  the  company,  some  of  the  provisions  being  that  the 
number  of  toll  gates  should  not  exceed  three;  mile  stones  were 
"  to  be  erected  or  placed,  one  for  each  and  every  mile  of  the 
said  road,  and  on  each  stone  shall  be  fairly  and  legibly  marked 
the  distance  the  said  stone  is  from  the  city  of  New  York"  and 
a  bridge  was  to  be  erected  over  the  mouth  of  Croton  River,  to 
be  furnished  with  a  draw. 

Several  years  previous  to  this,  an  act  was  passed  March  28th, 
1797,  "for  opening  and  improving  certain  great  roads  within 
this  State."     This  act  provided  that  the  sum  of  |45,000  should 


138  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

be  raised  by  three  lotteries  and  after  certain  other  appropria- 
tions, "  the  residue  shall  be  laid  out  in  improvements  on  the 
post  road  leading  from  Croton  Ferry  to  the  County  of 
Dutchess." 

The  act  of  1804  was  repealed  and  a  new  act  passed  March 
25th,  1806,  by  which  William  Edgar,  Joseph  Rowland,  Philip 
Yan  Cortlandt,  William  Keymees,  William  Stut,  Daniel  Dela- 
van,  Philip  Verplanck,  Henry  Garrison.  Isaac  Van  Wyck, 
Daniel.  C.  Verplanck,  Robert  Williams,  William  Davies  and 
Philip  J.  Schuyler,  were  incorporated  to  make  and  maintain  a 
turnpike  from  Kings  Bridge  to  Croton  River  near  the  house  of 
Philip  Van  Cortlandt  and  then  by  the  most  convenient  route  to 
Poughkeepsie.  Their  privileges  and  duties  were  similar  to 
those  of  the  former  company.  The  act  was  amended  at  various 
times  and  the  time  for  finishing  the  road  extended,  and  persons 
living  on  the  line  of  the  turnpike  could  work  out  their  high- 
way tax  upon  it  if  they  wished.  The  turnpike  was  not  a  pe- 
cuniary success,  and  the  act  was  repealed  April  8th,  1833,  the 
corporation  was  dissolved,  and  the  commissioners  of  highways 
were  reqiaired  to  cause  the  road  to  be  kept  in  repair  the  same 
as  other  highways.  The  old  mile  stones  which  marked  the  dis- 
tance from  New  York  are  still  remaining,  and  this  is  about 
all  there  is  to  remind  the  traveller  of  the  Old  Highland  Turn- 
pike. 

The  next  company  of  this  county  was  the  Westchester  and 
Dutchess  Turnpike  Company,  organized  by  act  of  March  9th, 
1810. 

This  act  provided  that  William  Taber,  Rowland  Bailey,  Jona- 
than Ferris,  Pierre  Van  Cortlandt,  Samuel  Owens,  James 
Mandeville,  John  Oppie,  James  Dewey,  Charles  Dusenbury, 
John  C.  Voght,  John  Jones,  Nathaniel  Drake,  Edward 
Bugby,  St.  John  Constant,  Thomas  Brown,  Solomon  Rundle, 
and  Henry  Luddington  and  such  as  should  associate  with 
them,  "should  make  a  good  and  sufficient  turnpike  road,  to  be- 
gin at  the  Highland  Turnpike  near  the  house  of  Joseph  C. 
Voght,  in  Cortlandt,  thence  to  the  house  of  James  Mandeville, 
and  to  or  near  the  house  of  Samuel  Owens  in  said  town:  thence 
to  the  house  of  Jonathan  Ferris  and  to  or  near  the  house  of 
Edward  Bugby  and  Solomon  Avery  in  Philipstown,  and  from 
thence  running  up  Peekskill  Hollow,  to  the  house  of  Rowland 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  139 

Bailey',  and  from  thence  to  the  house  of  Henry  Ludington',  in 
the  town  of  Frederick,  and  then  to  the  great  road  west  of  Quaker 
Hi]]." 

The  capital  stock  was  1,500  shares  of  $25  each,  the  distance 
was  twenty-four  miles,  and  there  were  to  be  two  toll  gates  on 
the  road.  This  turnpike  througli  Peekskill  Hollow  followed 
the  old  road  which  was  in  use  long  before  the  Revolution  and 
plainly  marked  on  Erskine's  map.  In  1816,  the  time  for  the 
completion  of  the  road  was  extended  to  1821,  and  by  an  act  of 
1820  they  were  authorized  to  extend  the  road  "from  where  it 
now  intersects  the  Philipstown  Turnpike  near  the  house  of  Wm. 
Knapp,  across  the  Fishkill  Mountains." 

The  Philipstown  Turnpike  Comjjany  was  incorporated  by  an 
act  passed  April  14th,  1815.  By  this  act,  Samuel  Goixverneur, 
Amos  Belden,  David  Knapp,  Samuel  Townsend,  John  Haight 
and  others  were  incorporated  as  a  company,  "  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  good  and  sufficient  road  from  Cold  Spring  landing, 
in  the  town  of  Philipstown,  and  running  from  thence  the  most 
direct  and  common  route,  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  by  way 
of  the  ore  bed,  Milltown',  Abel  Peak's  tavern*,  and  Joseph 
White's  tavern,  to  the  meeting  house  in  the  town  of  Patterson, 
according  to  the  survey  thereof  made  by  Zebulon  Horner,  Jr., 
March  28th,  1814,  and  extending  to  the  Connecticut  line  so  as 
to  promote  the  interest  of  the  Public'." 

The  capital  stock  of  this  company  was  to  be  1,000  shares  at  $30 
each.  This  turnpike  ran  from  Farmer's  Mills,  on  the  west  side 
of  White  Pond  and  up  into  Dutchess  county,  and  making  a 
tiirn  came  back  into  Putnam  county  on  the  west  side  of  the  mill 
pond  at  Ludingtonville.  It  ran  through  the  village  of  Patter- 
son, and  thence  northeast  up  the  hill  and  so  to  the  Connecticut 
line.  In  1829,  the  company  was  authorized  to  abandon  "  so 
much  of  their  road  as  lies  between  the  line  of  Fishkill  near  Peter 
Rites,  and  the  town  of  Patterson,  at  Benjamin  Pugsley's."  In 
1884,  they  were  authorized  ' '  to  abandon  so  much  of  the  road  as 
lies  between  Haviland's  Corners,  in  the  town  of  Patterson  and 
its  intersection  with  the  Connecticut  line  in  the  town  of  Paw- 

'The  present  residence  of  Mr.  Stephens,  at  Boyd's  Corners,  formerly  Dr.  Mat- 
thew Bailey's. 
'At  Ludingtonville  in  Kent. 
'Farmer's  Mills. 

*rhis  was  in  Dutchess  county  at  what  is  called  "Peck  Slip." 
=The  first  12  miles  were  built  by  Dr.  Edward  Parks,  for  $13,000. 


140  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

lings."  In  ]8o7,  an  act  was  passed  providing  "  that  when  the 
persons  holding  a  majority  of  the  stock  of  the  company,  should 
have  transferred  their  shares  to  the  towns  in  which  the  road 
lies,  that  then  such  parts  of  the  turnpike  shall  be  a  public  road 
and  worked  as  other  roads."  The  whole  road  was  finally  aban- 
doned by  the  company,  but  as  a  large  portion  of  it  west  of 
Farmer's  Mills  went  through  a  thinly  settled  region,  there  was 
not  enough  taxable  property  to  keep  it  in  repair.  In  1879,  the 
board  of  supervisors  was  authorized  to  appoint  three  commis- 
sioners to  keep  the  road  in  proper  condition.  Prom  that  time 
the  highway  has  been  kept  in  repair  by  the  commissioners  thus 
appointed  and  the  sum  of  $500  has  annually  been  expended  for 
that  purpose,  and  it  is  generally  known  as  the  "Putnam 
County  road."  Previous  to  this,  in  1862,  an  act  was  passed  by 
which  the  county  judge  was  authorized  to  appoint  three  com- 
missioners to  manage  the  road.  A  part  of  this  act  provided 
that  no  person  should  carry  a  load  of  more  than  4,000  pounds  on 
vehicles  with  wheels  less  than  five  inches  wide,  the  roads  having 
been  much  injured  by  heavy  loads  of  ore  fr®m  the  mines 
on  the  route.  In  1875  a  law  which  is  still  in  force  was  made 
providing  that  |500  annually  should  be  raised  for  keeping  the 
road  in  repair. 

An  effort  to  improve  one  of  the  most  important  roads  in  the 
county  was  made  in  1836,  when  an  act  was  passed  by  which 
James  Towner  and  William  Watts,  of  Putnam,  and  James 
Turk,  of  Westchester,  were  appointed  commissioners  "to  alter 
the  road  from  Frederick  Luddington's  by  way  of  the  Court 
House,  to  Croton  Turnpike,  for  the  purpose  of  shortening  and 
improving  the  same."  This  road,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
the  county,  has  been  known  from  the  earliest  time  as  the 
"Horse  Pound  road."  It  was  once  the  principal  route  between 
Westchester  and  Dutchess  counties,  and  is  mentioned  by  the 
same  name  in  1756.  It  ran  the  width  of  the  county  from  the 
Dutchess  line  at  Ludingtonville,  to  Carmel;  and  by  the  Court 
House  it  ran  south,  running  to  the  west  of  the  present  road 
opposite  the  seminary  and  extended  south  to  where  the  road 
turns  east  that  goes  to  the  Grilead  burying  ground.  It  followed 
that  road  as  far  as  the  burying  ground,  and  from  that  ran  south- 
east (where  the  telegraph  poles  now  stand  and  where  the  line 
of  the  old  road  is  yet  plainly  visible)  to  the  road  that  runs 
south  past  the  "Watts  farm,"  called  the  Croton  Falls  road. 


GJiNEEAL   HISTORY.  141 

The  portion  of  the  road  between  the  burying  ground  and  the 
Watts  place  was  discontinued  after  the  making  of  the  "new 
road  "  running  east  from  Carmel,  by  the  Presbyterian  church. 

The  same  year  Edward  Smith,  of  Carmel,  Hart  Weed,  of 
Southeast,  and  Reuben  R.  Finch,  of  Cortlandt,  were  appointed 
"  to  lay  out  a  road  from  Peekskill  to  the  store  of  James 
Towner',  in  Patterson."  They  were  authorized  "  to  lay  out  the 
road  not  less  than  three  rods  wide,  by  the  Court  House  in 
Carmel,  to  the  store  of  James  Towner,  on  the  most  eligible  and 
direct  route,  or  to  alter  the  road  now  in  use  and  to  discontinue 
such  parts  as  they  deem  unnecessary."  The  commissioners 
were  to  have  $2  per  day  for  service.  This  road  was  from  Peeks- 
kill  by  way  of  the  "Red  Mills",  and  was  made  a  very  excel- 
lent road. 

The  act  was  amended  in  1744,  and  Ray  Tompkins,  of  Somers,. 
John  Crawford,  of  Southeast,  and  Silas  Slawson,  of  Carmel, 
were  appointed  to  lay  out  the  highway  not  less  than  three  rods 
wide  from  the  house  of  James  Towner,  by  the  Court  House  in 
Carmel,  to  "The  house  of  Gilbert  Knapp,  near  the  head  of 
Peekskill  Turnpike,  in  Yorktown,"  and  in  case  the  turnpike 
should  be  free,  they  were  to  lay  out  a  free  road  three  rods  wide. 
These  roads  were  of  great  importance,  as  leading  to  the  only 
convenient  port  on  the  Hudson  River. 

The  " Croton  Turnpike"  was  made  under  an  act  passed 
April  8th,  1811,  by  which  Stephen  Barnum,  Samuel  Haviland, 
Benjamin  Cowls  and  Abijah  Seeley  and  their  associates  were 
authorized  "  to  make  a  good  and  sufficient  road  from  the  north 
end  of  the  Croton  Turnpike  near  the  house  of  widow  Deborah 
Sears,  in  the  town  of  Southeast,  and  running  thence  the  most 
direct  route  to  the  house  of  Abijah  Seeley,  in  the  town  of  Pat- 
terson and  thence  by  the  most  direct  route  to  the  bridge  across 
Croton  Riv.er  about  one  half  mile  west  of  Capt.  Benjamin  Cowls, 
thence  eastwardly  to  the  Connecticut  line,  terminating  at  the 
dwelling  house  of  Timothy  Haviland,  in  said  town  of  Pat- 
terson." 

This  is  the  road  that  runs  through  Haviland  Hollow-.  Abijah 
Seeley  lived  where  his  son,  Dr.  Jonathan  Seeley,  now  lives, 
about  a  mile  north  of  Doansburg.  The  old  Croton  Turnpike 
ran  from  the  Westchester  line  near  Croton  Falls,  to  the  present 

'This  was  at  the  four  corners,  near  the  Baptist  church,  now  the  residence  of 
Philip  D.  Penney. 


142  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COTTNTT. 

site  of  the  Borden  Condensed  Milk  Factory,  near  Brewster, 
and  tlience  on  to  Southeast  Center,  and  thence  to  Doansburg 
where  it  terminated  on  the  west  side  of  the  burying  ground. 
The  above  described  road  is  its  continuation  to  Cowls'  Corners 
and  Haviland  Hollow. 

The  Putnam  and  Dutchess  Turnpike  Company  was  incor- 
porated by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  passed  April  11th,  1827,  by 
which  act  Edward  Smith,  Alvin  Chase,  Herman  R.,  Stephen 
and  Elizer  Baldwin,  and  such  persons  as  should  associate  with 
them,  were  incorporated  to  build  "  a  good  and  sufficient  turn- 
pike road,  to  commence  at  a  point  on  the  Croton  Turnpike  in 
the  town  of  Somersin  Westchester  Co.,  between  the  house  of 
Isaac  Brown  and  the  bridge  over  the  east  branch  of  Croton 
Eiver,  a  few  rods  northeast  of  the  mill  of  John  Owen,  to  run 
from  thence  the  most  eligible  route  through  the  County  of  Put- 
nam, to,  or  near,  the  house  occupied  by  Sylvanus  Merritt,  in 
the  town  of  Pawlings,  in  the  County  of  Dutchess,  passing  on 
this  route  on  the  west  side  of  the  Court  House  in  the  town  of 
Carmel,  Putnam  Co.,  and  near  the  house  of  Edward  Smith,  in 
the  town  of  Kent,  and  near  the  house  of  Sewell  White  in  the 
town  of  Pawlings." 

The  stock  was  to  be  $10,000,  in  shares  of  $20  each,  and  as  soon 
as  any  five  miles  of  the  road  should  be  finished,  they  were 
authorized  to  erect  gates,  but  not  within  one  mile  of  the  Court 
House.  Jonathan  Morehouse,  Benjamin  Isaacs  and  Wheeler 
Gilbert  were  appointed  commissioners  to  lay  out  the  road  and 
were  authorized  to  appropriate  any  land  then  used  as  a  road. 

The  end  of  all  these  turnpike  companies  was  the  same.  They 
proved  unprofitable  and  the  cost  of  main taining\  toll  gates  and 
keeping  the  road  in  repair  exceeded,  or  at  least  equaled,  the 
income.  They  were  gradually  abandoned,  and  became  common 
highways,  but  Putnam  county  is  indebted  to  these  learly  cor- 
porations for  its  best  roads,  and  the  traveller  may  well  call  to 
mind  the  names  of  their  founders  and  bless  their  memory. 

"We  hear  no  more  of  the  clanging  hoof, 

And  the  stage-coach  rattling  by  ; 
For  the  steam-king  rules  the  travelled  world, 

And  the  old  pike's  left  to  die. 
The  grass  creeps  o'er  the  flinty  path, 

And  the  stealthy  daisies  steal, 
Where  once  the  stage-horse,  day  by  day. 

Lifted  his  iron  heel. 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  143 

"  No  more  the  weary  stager  dreads 
The  toil  of  the  coming  morn  ; 
No  more  the  bustling  landlord  runs 

At  the  sound  of  the  echoing  horn  ; 
For  the  dust  lies  still  upon  the  road, 

And  the  bright-eyed  children  play 
Where  once  the  clattering  hoof  and  wheel, 
Rattled  along  the  way." 

Eev.  John  Piebpont. 

Previous  to  the  Revolution  there  v^as  but  little  need  of  a 
regularly  established  ferry  across  the  river  from  any  portion  of 
this  county,  the  population  being  small  and  the  occasions  for 
crossing  being  few.  It  was  not  till  the  war  began  that  the  im- 
portance of  West  Point  as  a  military  post  became  apparent. 
Up  to  1795,  the  power  of  licensing  ferries  to  carry  passengers 
for  hire,  was  vested  in  the  Courts  of  Common  Pleas,  which 
granted  the  license  and  prescribed  the  rates  of  fare. 

"  An  Act  for  establishing  and  regulating  a  ferry  across  the 
North  River,  in  the  town  of  Philips,  in  the  County  of  Putnam, 
March  16th,  1821. 

"That  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  Harry  Garrison  of  the 
town  of  Philips,  his  heirs  and  assigns  to  set  up  and  keep  and 
maintain  a  ferry  across  the  North  River,  to  any  convenient  place 
on  the  west  shore  of  the  said  river  in  the  County  of  Orange, 
for  and  during  the  term  of  twelve  years  from  and  after  the  pas- 
sage of  this  act." 

By  an  act  passed  April  12th,  1830,  it  was  granted  to  John 
Garrison  of  the  town  of  Philips,  and  his  heirs  and  assigns,  to 
set  up  and  keep  a  ferry  across  the  river,  from  the  land  of  said 
Garrison,  between  the  north  point  of  Constitution  Island  and 
the  north  point  of  Conshook  Island  to  any  convenient  place  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  in  the  County  of  Orange,  for  the  period 
of  ten  years  from  the  16th  day  of  May,  1833.  In  1843,  this  privi- 
lege was  extended  to  twelve  years.  In  1833,  the  following  rates 
of  ferriage  were  established  by  the  County  Court: 

''For  carrying  every  wagon  with  2  horses,  $1.25;  for  cai'rying 
every  wagon  with  1  horse,  75c. ;  for  single  horse,  50c. ;  each  head 
of  cattle,  37^0. ;  hog,  sheep  or  calf,  6c. ;  wagon,  sulky  or  chaise, 
50c;  single  passenger,  18c. ;  barrel  of  pork  or  beef,  12^0." 

These  rates  might  be  doubled  after  the  first  of  December, 
until  the  succeeding  March,  between  the  hours  of  8  p.  m.  and 
snnrise. 


144  HISTORY   OF  tiJTNAM   COUNTY. 

In  1826,  an  act  was  passed  authorizing  Thomas  Ketcham  and 
Samuel  Gouverneur  to  keep  a  ferry  across  the  Hudson  River 
from  Putrock  Landing,  in  Orange  county,  to  Cold  Spring 
Landing. 

In  1850,  Edward  Hubbard,  Christopher  D.  Miller  and  Thomas 
J.  De  Lancy  were  empowered  to  run  a  ferry  from  Cornwall  to 
Cold  Spring  for  the  term  of  ten  years. 

In  1851,  Henry  R.  Purdy  was  empowered  to  keep  a  ferry 
"  from  Cold  Spring  Landing  between  the  north  point  of  Con- 
stitution Island,  and  the  south  part  of  Stony  Point,  to  some 
convenient  place  on  the  opposite  shore,"  for  the  term  of  twelve 
years. 

In  1863,  a  grant  of  land  under  water  was  made  to  the  Grarri- 
son  and  West  Point  Ferry  Company,  the  same  being  contiguous 
to  their  property. 

The  present  Garrison  and  West  Point  Ferry  Company,  organ- 
ized under  a  law  of  1853,  consists  of  Henry  W.  Belcher, 
Henry  E.  Belcher,  George  E.  Belcher,  Charles  D.  Hoflfman, 
Ethan  D.  Griswold  and  Frank  D.  Griswold.  The  capital  stock 
is  $25,000,  and  the  company  owns  real  estate  and  boats  to  the- 
amount  of  $53,000. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


POLITICAL  DIVISIONS. 


WITH  the  English  conquest  of  New  Netherland  came  of 
course  a  new  system  of  government,  and  by  an  act  of 
the  General  Assembly,  November  1st,  1683,  the  province  of  New 
York  was  divided  into  twelve  counties.  Of  these  Dutchess 
was  one,  and  its  boundaries  are  described  and  defined  to  be 
"from  the  bounds  of  the  County  of  Westchester  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Highlands,  and  along  the  east  side  of  Hudson's  river 
as  far  as  Roeliflf  Jansen's  Kill",  and  east  into  the  woods  twenty 
miles."  At  the  time  of  its  establishment,  there  were  scarcely 
any  inhabitants  in  the  entire  region,  and  for  many  years  it  was 
practically  a  part  of  Ulster  county,  where  the  courts  were  held, 
and  its  public  business  performed;  and  provision  was  made  for 
the  freeholders  to  give  their  votes  in  that  county  as  if  they  were 
residents  therein.  This  continued  till  1701,  when  the  county 
first  came  to  have  a  separate  existence. 

Up  to  1701,  Dutchess  county  was  thought  incapable  of  bearing 
the  expense  of  a  representative  in  the  General  Assembly,  "  but 
the  people  of  that  county  animated  by  the  heat  of  the  times, 
sent  Jacob  Rutsen  and  Adrian  Garretson  to  represent  them  in 
the  Assembly." 

The  next  attempt  at  a  form  of  civil  government  for  the 
county,  was  in  1713,  when  the  following  was  enacted: 

"An  Act  for  Dutchess  County  to  elect  a  Supervisor,  a  Treas- 
urer, Assessor  and  Collector. 

"Be  it  enacted  by  the  Governor,  Council  and  Assembly  and 
by  the  Authority  of  the  same,  That  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  in 
Dutchess  County  or  any  two  of  them,  shall  and  are  hereby  re- 
quired to  issue  their  Warrant  to  the  Constables  of  the  said 
County,  to  give  warning  to  the  Freeholders  and  Inhabitants,  in 

'  Now  Livingston  Creek,  opposite  Catskill. 
10 


146  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM    COXJNTY. 

the  respective  Precincts  thereof  to  assemble  and  meet  at  the 
most  convenient  place,  as  the  Justices  or  any  two  of  them  shall 
appoint,  at  any  time  before  the  first  Tuesday  in  September  next, 
there  to  make  choice  of  one  Freeholder  to  be  Supervisor,  one 
Treasurer,  two  Assessors  and  two  Collectors,  in  the  said  County, 
who  shall  have  the  same  Power,  Authority,  Office  and  Function, 
and  do,  perform,  execute  and  serve,  and  be  liable  to  the  same 
Pains  and  Penalties,  as  the  Supervisors,  Treasurers,  Assessors 
and  Collectors  of  the  several  and  respective  Counties  within  this 
Colony  until  the  first  Tuesday  in  April  next  ensuing,  and  then 
one  Supervisor,  one  Treasurer,  and  so  many  Assessors  and 
Collectors  to  be  chosen  and  elected  annually." 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  officers  men- 
tioned were  elected  annually,  but  no  document  in  existence 
gives  their  names  or  tells  of  their  acts;  and  the  next  informatin 
to  be  found  is  contained  in  an  act  passed  in  1719,  entitled,  "  An 
Act  to  elect  Supervisors  in  Dutchess  County."  "  Whereas  by 
an  Act  made  in  the  Twelfth  year  of  the  reign  of  the  late  Queen 
Anne,  Entitled: 

"  An  Act  for  Dutchess  County  to  elect  a  Supervisor,  a  Trea- 
surer, Assessors  and  Collectors,  the  County  since  being  increased 
in  Inhabitants  and  Settlements  made,  Now  for  the  more  ease 
and  better  defraying  the  public  Charge  of  the  said  County.  Be 
it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Grovernor,  Council  and  General 
Assembly,  and  it  is  hereby  Enacted  by  the  authority  of  the 
same.  That  from  and  after  the  Publication  of  this  Act,  the  said 
County  shall  be  divided  into  three  Divisions.  The  South 
Division  to  begin  at  the  South  side  of  the  Highlands,  and  ex- 
tend to  Wappingers  creek,  the  Middle  Division  to  begin  at  the 
aforesaid  Wappingers  creek  and  so  northward  to  the  Kline 
Sopus  Island,  and  the  North  Division  to  begin  on  the  North 
side  of  the  middle  Division  and  ending  on  the  northmost  Bounds 
and  extent  of  the  County. 

"  And  for  the  better  advantage  and  more  easie  adjusting  the 
Accounts  of  Taxes  in  the  said  County,  and  payment  of  the 
County  charge.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  That 
the  Inhabitants  of  every  respective  Division  are  hereby  required 
and  Authorized,  yearly  and  every  year  upon  the  publick  Elec- 
tion, being  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  to  elect  and  appoint  in 
every  Division  a  Supervisor  for  the  said  County  who  shall  have 
the   same  power.    Function  and  Authority  to  raise    Publick 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  147 

Money  to  defray  the  necessary  charge  of  the  County  and  also 
adjust  the  charges  of  the  same,  as  all  otherj  Supervisors  of  the 
Colony  by  Law  have  a  right  to  have." 

The  divisions  thus  established  were  called  "  Wards,"  not  by 
legal  authority,  but  by  popular  usage.  The  South  Ward  in- 
cluded, of  course,  all  the  region  now  embraced  in  Putnam 
county,  and  also  a  large  portion  of  the  present  county  of 
Dutchess.  As  the  population  increased,  some  difficulty  arose 
as  to  the  true  location  of  the  northern  boundary,  as  is  shown  by 
the  following  entry: 

"  At  a  General  Court  of  Sessions  held  at  the  Court  House  at 
Poughkeepsie  in  Dutchess  County  on  the  21st  day  of  May, 
Anno  Dom.  1728.  Taking  into  consideration  the  information  of 
the  Grand  Jury  who  imparted  that  a  great  inconvenience  was, 
and  more  might  thereby  ensue.  Whereas  the  bounds  between 
the  middle  and  South  Wards  of  said  County  not  being  plainly 
distinguished,  therefore  it  is  now  agreed  that  the  Division  shall 
begin  at  the  mouth  of  Wappingers  Creek,  and  so  up  the  said 
creek  until  a  line  drawn  from  the  house  of  Hendrick  Boss  due 
west  doth  cross  ye  said  Creek,  due  east  to  the  line  of  Connec- 
ticut Colony,  so  that  all  remaining  on  ye  South  shall  be,  and  is 
hereby  distinguished  as  ye  South  Ward." 

The  early  records  of  the  elections  of  officers  in  these  wards 
are  lost  and  the  first  found  is  in  1722.' 

"  At  an  Election  held  in  Dutchess  County  in  the  South  Ward, 
on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  it  being  the  second  day  of  said 
Month  1722.  These  following  are  chosen  for  Dutchess  County 
for  the  South  Ward:— John  Montross,  Constable  &  Collector; 
Jacobus  Swartwout,  Supervisor;  Peter  Du  Boys,  Assessor; 
Johannes  Ter  Boss,  Jr.,  Assessor;  Jan  De  Lange,  Overseer  of 
the  King's  Highway;  Jacobus  Terbos,  Overseer  of  the  High- 
way; Jan  Buys,  Surveyor  of  the  fences:  Gerrit  Van  Vliet,  Sur- 
veyor of  the  fences. 

"Henry  Vakderburg,  Clerk." 

'.'  At  a  meeting  of  Sundry  Freeholders  &  Tenants  of  Dutchess 

County  assembled  this  first  Tuesday  in  April  1724,  in  ye  South 

Ward,  the  following  persons  were  chosen  by  Majority  of  votes 

to  sarve  for'  this  year  viz: — Jacobus   Swartwout,   Supervisor; 

James  Hussey  and  I^rancis  De  Langen,  Assessors;   Hendrick 

Philipse,  Constable  &  Collector;   Isaac   Lossing',   Surveyor  of 

'From  the  family  of  this  name  is  descended  Benson  J.  Lossing,  LL.D.,  the  cele- 
brated historian. 


148  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

King's  Highway;  Jan  Buys,  Surveyor  of  ye  roads  about  ye 
Fishkill;  Daniel  Bush,  Surveyor  of  ye  roads  about  Pough- 
quaick';  Peter  Du  Bois  and  Jan  Buys,  Surveyors  of  fences; 
Jan  Buys,  Pounner  (Pounder). 

"Agreed  by  a  majority  of  votes  that  all  fences  shall  be  in 
height  from  ye  ground  upward  to  ye  uppermost  part  of  ye  top 
rail  or  log  or  Ryder,  4  foot,  4  inches,  English  measure.  Also 
agreed  that  ye  Hogs  in  ye  said  Ward  has  priviledge  to  run^from 
ye  1st  day  of  Oct.  till  ye  month  of  April." 

A  curious  example  of  county  expenses,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  last  century,  is  the  following  account  of  bills  allowed  by 
the  Supervisors  in  1724: 

"Dutchess  County  Anno  Dom.  172|,  February  the  2nd  day." 

"At  a  meeting  of  Supervisors  at  Poughkeepsie  to  adeciate 
the  debts  and  arrearages  of  ye  said  Co.  we  have  proceeded  and 
allowed  to  the  persons  hereafter  named  the  following  accounts 
viz: 

"To  Col.  Leonard  Lewis  to  service  in  Gen.  Assembly, 

63  days,  Sertificate  date  ye  14  July  An.  1724.     .     .  £18, 18s. 

"Ordered  that  20s.  be  given  to  the  Clerk  Mr.  Henry 
Van  Der  Burg  for  to  purchase  a  book  of  the  Laws 
of  the  Province  for  the  use  of  the  County,     .        .      1,00 

"Ordered  that  the  Clerk  shall  have  £4  for  his  years 

salary  which  was  expired  the  15th  of  last  Oct.  past,      4,00 

"  To  Harm  anus  Ryder  for  his  Salary,  ....        ,30s. 

"  To  Leonard  Lewis  Esq.  for  Beer  and  Rum  for  ye  As- 
sessors and  Supervisors, ,12s. 

"To  Mr.  Jacobus  Van  Den  Bogart  for  victualing  the 

Supervisors  and  Assessors, ,09s. 

"To  Mr.  Traphagen  for  service  upon  the  Kings  High- 
road which  was  never  afore  brought  in,  for  two 
days  at  6s.  per  day, ,12s. 

"  To  Col.  Leonard  Lewis  for  6s.  disbursed  for  the  Co. 
to  Harmanus  Rynders,  as  Cryer  in  ye  Circuit  Court 
several  years  agoe, ,6s. 


£27, 07s. 
"  Barent  Van  Wagner, 
"Jacobus  Swartwout, 
"Jacobus  Van  den  Bogart." 

'Now  the  town  of  Beekman. 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  149 

Taxes  were  small  In  those  days  as  may  be  seen  by  the  fol- 
lowing receipt: 

"New  York  18  June  1724,  Received  from  John  Montross 
Collector  of  the  South  Ward  of  Dutchess  Co.  by  the  hands  of 
Leonard  Lewis  Esq.  the  sum  of  5  pounds  6  shillings  and  8 
pence,  being  on  the  acct.  for  Raising  the  Quantity  of  Three 
thousand  ounces  of  plate  for  the  effectual  sinking  and  cancel- 
ling bills  of  credit  to  that  value. 

"  I  say  received  by  me. 

"£5,  6s.  8d. 

"A.  D.  Peyster,  Jr." 

As  the  Dutch  language  was  used  by  a  large  portion  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  county  at  that  time,  receipts  are  occasionally 
found  given  in  that  language  : 
"  Dutsers  Co.  1726  July  17. 

'  •  Ontsange  von  Mr.  Welliam  Lessen  de  sam  von  twelf  pont 
en  elf  Segillings  en  een  penny,  Synde  en  vol  voor  Syn  tax  lyst 
by  myn 

Lowwerens  Vajs"  Clebk 

Treasurer." 

Supervisors  of  the  South  Ward  of  Dutchess  county:  Jacobus 
Swartwout,  1722-24;  James  Hussy,  1725;  Peter  Du  Bois,  1726; 
Jacobus  Swartwout,  1727;  Abraham  Brinkerhoff,  1728;  Jacobus 
De  Peyster,  1729-31;  James  Hussy,  1732. 

The  comparative  wealth  of  these  three  wards  may  be  seen 
from  the  following  amounts  of  tax  paid  in  the  year  1725:  North 
Ward,  £53,  15s.,  3d.;  Middle  Ward,  £36,  9s.,  3Jd.;  South 
Ward,  £27,  9s.,  l^d. 

The  next  change  in  political  divisions  was  December  16th, 
1737,  when  the  following  was  passed: 

''An  Act  to  divide  Dutchess  County  into  Precincts. 

"  Whereas  Dutchess  County  by  an  Act  made  in  the  5th  year 
of  his  late  Majesty's  reign',  enfitled  'an  Act  to  elect  Super- 
visors in  Dutchess  County,'  was  divided  into  three  Divisions, 
and  whereas  since  that  time  the  Number  of  Inhabitants  is  much 
increased  and  many  new  settlements  have  been  made,  whereby 
it  is  become  necessary  for  the  Ease  and  Convenience  of  the 

'  As  Acts  of  Parliament  and  deeds  for  land  in  colonial  times  are  dated  from  the 
year  of  the  beginning  of  the  Sovereign's  reign  the  following  may  be  of  value  as 
reference:  William  and  Mary  began  to  reign  in  1689;  Queen  Anne  in  1703; 
George  I.  in  1715;  George  II.  in  1728. 


150  HISTORY    01'  PUTJNTAaC   COUNTY. 

Inhabitants  thereof  that  the  said  County  should  be  divided  into 
more  Precincts. 

"Be  it  therefore  enacted  by  the  Lieut.  Governor,  tlie  Council 
and  the  General  Assembly,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the 
Authority  of  the  same.  That  from  and  after  the  Publication 
of  this  Act,  the  said  County  shall  be  divided  into  seven  Pre- 
cincts in  the  following  manner  : 

"  The  south  Precinct  to  contain  all  that  part  of  the  Highlands 
which  is  granted  by  Patent  to.Adolph  Philipse  Esq.. 

"  The  Rumbout  or  Fishkill  Precinct  to  contain  all  that  part 
of  Rumbout  Patent  South  of  Wappinger's  Creek. 

"The  Beekmen  Precinct  to  contain  all  that  land  granted  to 
Henry  Beekman  Esq." 

The  act  goes  on  to  establish  the  precincts  of  Crom  Elbow, 
Rhynbeck  and  Northeast. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  the  South  Precinct  em- 
braced all  the  present  county  of  Putnam  and  also  the  south- 
western portions  of  the  town  of  Fishkill  in  Dutchess. 

The  loss  of  many  of  the  early  records  renders  it  impossible  to 
give  a  complete  list  of  the  officers  of  the  South  Precinct,  and 
we  can  only  give  the  names  of  the  officers  from  1754. 

Supervisors :  Samuel  Field,  1754-56;  Petrus  Dubois,  1757; 
Philip  Philipse,  o^  New  York,  1760-62;  Beverly  Robinson, 
1763—65;  Philip  Philipse,  1766-69;  TertuUus  Dickenson, 
1770-71. 

Assessors :  James  Dickenson,  Joseph  Lane,  1754;  James 
Dickenson,  William  Nelson,  1755-56;  Joseph  Lane,  Daniel 
Townsend,  1757;  Valentine  Perkins,  Joseph  Lane,  1758;  Daniel 
Townsend,  Joseph  Lane,  1759;  James  Dickenson,  George 
Hughson,  1760;  James  Dickenson,  George  Hughson,  1761-2-3-4-5; 
Joseph  Lane,  Edward  Gray,  1766;  Malcolm  Morrison,  TertuUus 
Dickenson,  1767-8-9;  Roswell  Wilcox,  Samuel  Peters  Esq., 
1770;  William  Penny,  James  Dickenson  jr.,  1771. 

Clerks:  Schuman  Travis,  1761;  Samuel  Dickenson,  1763; 
Edward  Rice,  1766;  Eleazar  Baker,  1767. 

Constables  in  1754:  Israel  Taylor,  Nathan  Taylor,  Uriah 
Hill,  Thomas  Philipse. 

The  first  overseers  of  the  poor  were  George  Hughson,  Edward 
Gray,  Peter  Drake  and  Nathaniel  Porter,  1762.  In  this  year 
there  was  a  great  addition  made  to  the  number  of  precinct 
officers,  there  being  elected,  six  "Pounders,"  four  fence  viewers. 


GEKTERAL   HISTORY.  151 

and  forty  eight  pathmasters.  In  1763,  a  new  officer  makes  his 
appearance,  in  the  person  of  Jacob  Parrish,  "Whipper." 
Whether  the  precinct  ceased  to  have  any  need  for  the  services 
of  this  officer,  or  whether  no  one  cared  to  fill  the  position,  is 
unknown  to  the  writer,  but  he  seems  to  have  been  the  first  and 
the  last  elected  to  that  office. 

For  several  years  before  the  Revolution,  the  population  of 
the  South  Precinct  increased  with  rapidity,  especially  the  eastern 
portion,  and  on  the  24th  of  March,  1772,  the  following  was 
passed: 

"An  Act  for  dividing  the  South  Precinct  of  the  County  of 
Dutchess  into  three  Precincts. 

"Whereas  the  South  Precinct  in  the  County  of  Dutchess  is 
so  extensive  that  many  of  the  inhabitants  cannot  attend  the 
annual  meeting  for  Election  of  officers,  without  great  incon- 
venience, and  is  become  so  populous  that  the  Elections  can  no 
longer  be  held  with  due  Order  and  Regularity. 

"I.  Be  it  enacted  by  his  Excellency  the  Governor  the  Coun- 
cil and  the  General  Assembly,  and  it  is  hereby  enacted  by  the 
Authority  of  the  Same.  That  the  said  South  Precinct  shall 
after  the  first  day  of  April  next  be  divided  into  three  Precincts 
in  the  Manner  following: 

"  The  west  Division  or  Precinct  is  to  be  called  Philips  Pre- 
cinct, bounded  as  follows,  to  wit.  Southerly  by  Westchester 
County,  Easterly  by  East  line  of  Beverly  Robinson's  Long  Lot 
No.  4;  Northerly  by  the  Division  line  between  Rumbout  and 
Philipse  Patents,  and  Westerly  by  Hudson's  river.  And  the 
Middle  Division  or  Precinct  to  comprehend  that  part  of  Philipse 
Patent,  within  the  said  South  Precinct  known  by  the  name  of 
ihe  three  east  short  Lots  and  the  two  eastern  Long  Lots,  to  be 
called  Fredricksbarg  and  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit,  Southerly 
by  Westchester  County,  Northerly  by  Pawlings  Precinct,  East- 
erly by  the  Oblong  and  Westerly  by  Philipse  Precinct.  The 
Eastermost  Division  or  Precinct  to  comprehend  the  lands  called 
the  Oblong  lying  within  the  said  South  Precinct,  to  be  called 
the  South  East  Precinct,  and  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit,  South- 
erly by  Westchester  County,  Westerly  by  Predricksburg  Pre- 
cinct, Northerly  by  Pawlings  Precinct,  until  it  comes  to  the 
Connecticut  line.  Easterly  by  the  Connecticut  line.  In  which 
said  three  Precincts  there  shall  be  annually  chosen  by  the  ma- 
jority of  voices  of  the  Freeholders  and  Inhabitants,  in  each  re- 


152  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

spective  Precinct,  One  Clerk,  one  Supervisor,  two  Assessors,  one 
Collector,  two  Constables,  three  Overseers  of  Poor,  three  fence 
viewers,  two  Pound  Masters  and  Overseers  of  Highways  or  as 
many  Pound  Masters  and  Overseers  of  Highways  as  the 
majority  of  the  Inhabitants  at  their  said  annual  meeting  shall 
think  fit.  Which  said  officers  so  elected  shall  each  and  every 
of  them  have  the  same  Power  and  Authority  that  any  of  the 
like  officers  have  in  any  other  of  the  Precincts,  in  the  said 
County,  and  shall  be  liable  to  the  same  Pains  and  Penalties, 
any  thing  in  this  or  any  other  Act,  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. 

"11.  And  be  it  enacted  by  the  Authority  aforesaid.  That  the 
Justices  and  Overseers  of  the  Poor  shall  as  soon  as  possible  after 
the  Division  of  the  said  Precincts,  call  together  all  the  Poor  of 
the  said  Precincts  and  make  an  equal  Distribution  of  them  as 
is  possible  in  the  said  Precincts,  to  be  for  the  future  maintained 
by,  and  reside  in  the  Precinct  they  shall  be  allotted  to:  and  that 
all  such  sum  or  sums  of  money  that  shall  or  may  be  due  by  the 
said  Precinct  at  the  Division  thereof,  for  the  Maintainance  of 
the  Poor  shall  be  levied  proportionally  on  each  of  the  respec- 
tive Precincts  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Supervisors  and 
Assessors. 

"III.  And  be  it  enacted,  Thatf  the  Inhabitants  of  Fredericks- 
burg Precinct  shall  annually  meet  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April, 
for  the  election  of  officers  for  said  Precinct,  at  the  house  of 
Thomas  Smith  in  Fredricksburg;  and  that  Ihe  Inhabitants  of 
Philipse  Precinct  shall  meet  on  the  same  day,  for  the  like  pur- 
pose at  the  house  of  John  Compton  in  Philipse  Precinct:  and 
that  the  Inhabitants  of  the  South  East  Precinct  shall  meet  on 
the  same  day  for  the  like  purpose  at  the  dwelling  of  John  Ryder, 
in  the  said  Precinct. 

"  IV.  And  be  it  enacted,  That  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for 
the  Inhabitants  of  each  of  the  aforesaid  Precincts,  at  any  of 
their  annual  meetings  for  electing  officers  as  aforesaid,  by  a  ma- 
jority of  voices  of  the  Inhabitants  so  met,  to  appoint  any  other 
certain  place  for  the  next  election:  which  shall  continue  to  be 
the  place  of  Election  till  another  appointment  be  made  in  the 
same  manner. 

"V.  And  be  it  enacted  by  the  Auihority  aforesaid  that  the 
Inhabitants  of  Philipse  and  Fredricksburg  Precincts  having 
personal  estate  to  the  value  of  sixty  pounds,  free  from  all  in- 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  153 

cumbrance,  shall  be,  and  hereby  are  made  liable  to  serve  as  jur- 
ors, on  the  trial  of  Cases  in  Justices  Courts  in  the  said  Precincts 
of  Philipse  and  Fredricksburg  anything  in  the  aforesaid  Act  to 
the  Contrary  notwithstanding." 

The  records  of  these  precincts  are  very  scanty,  and  almost 
the  only  thing  remaining  is  the  book  of  accounts  kept  by  the 
overseers  of  the  poor,  which  has  lately  been  found  and  placed 
in  the  county  clerk's  office.  As  this  contains  the  only  account 
of  any  official  proceedings  in  the  days  before  the  Revolution,  a 
few  extracts  may  be  of  interest.  They  carry  us  back  to  a  time 
when  the  population  was  small,  and  life  in  its  primitive  sim- 
plicity; to  days  when  each  family  was  supported  by  its  own 
labor,  when  the  rooky  farm  supplied  the  few  wants  of  its  owner, 
and  when  the  "homespun"  clothed  the  entire  community. 

"  Dec.  the  27th,  1768.  Personally  appeared  before  us  James 
Dickenson  Samuel  Peters  and  John  Ryder  Esqsrs.  Justices  of 
the  Peace  for  the  County  of  Dutchess,  Tertullus  Dickenson 
Malcom  Morrison  and  Peter  Drake,  poor  masters  of  the  South 
Precinct  of  sd  County,  and  paid  out  under  our  Inspector  all  the 
money  that  they  have  received  for  the  use  of  the  poor  for  two 
years  past,  which  was  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  eight 
Pounds. 

"James  Dickenson, 
"  Samuel  Peters, 
"John  Ryder." 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1770,  we  find  the  following: 

"  The  Poor  of  the  South  Precinct  are  this  day  put  out  as  doth 
appear  under  written,  until  7th  of  May,  1771.  Allowed  to  Jere- 
miah Burgess  for  keeping  David  Austin,  £12;  allowed  to  Mrs. 
Sileven  for  keeping  her  husband,  8,19;  allowed  to  John  Rhodes 
for  keeping  his  sister,  5,00;  allowed  John  Brewer  for  keeping 
Martha  Mead,  8,18;  allowed  Elijah  Colkins  keeping  Joseph 
Barber's  daughter,  11,18;  allowed  to  pay  the  rent  of  Gideon 
Ellis'  farm  the  ensueing  year,  2,00;  and  also  the  rent  of  James 
Prown's  farm,  2,00;  allowed  to  Francis  Baker  for  taking 
care  of  a  poor  child  to  date,  2,16;  allowed  to  John  Ryder  Esq. 
.for  taking  care  and  keeping  Abigail  and  Levina  Discomb, 
twenty  three  pounds  and  he  promises  to  save  the  Precinct 
harmless,  from  any  further  charge  that  may  happen  by  said 
children  until  they  arrive  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  The  said 
children  are  allowed  to  be  three  years  old. 


154  HISTOKT   OF  PUTNAM   COUJ^TY. 

"Whereas  Mary  Golden  and  her  three  children  were  lately- 
Removed  by  an  order  of  Thos.  Menzies  and  Malcom  Morrison 
to  the  Manor  of  Philipsburg  from  the  South  Precinct  and 
whereas  the  said  Mary  Golden  and  her  children  are  sent  back 
by  order  of  two  Justices  of  Westchester  County.  Resolved 
that  advice  shall  be  taken,  and  the  order  of  the  said  Justices  of 
Westchester  County  be  disputed,  and  that  the  three  Precincts 
of  Fredericksburg,  South  East  and  Philipse  shall  bear  their 
proportionable  expense,  and  that  Thos.  Menzies  shall  apply  to 
the  King's  Attorney,  for  his  advice,  and  do  whatever  is  neces- 
sary in  consequence  of  his  advice.  Tlie  children  to  continue 
where  they  are  until  the  matter  is  decided,  May  7th,  1772." 

At  the  time  when  the  South  Precinct  was  divided  into  the 
three  Precincts  of  Fredericksburg,  Philipse  and  South  East,  the 
following  division  of  the  poor  was  made: 

"'  It  is  this  day  agreed  by  the  Justices  and  Overseers  of  the 
Poor,  that  the  Poor  of  the  late  South  Precinct  be,  from  and 
after  this  day  maintained  and  provided  for  in  the  following 
manner,  to  wit,  The  South  East  Precinct  to  take  William  Gray 
and  his  wife,  Fredericksburg  Precinct  paying  to  the  South  East 
Precinct  five  pounds  yearly,  as  long  as  said  Wm.  Gray  and  wife 
shall  live. 

"Fredericksburg  Precinct  to  take  David  Ashton,  John 
Sullivan,  Martha  Mead,  Joseph  Barber,  the  children  of  Gilbert 
Clapp,  Rachel  Hughs,  John  Carr  and  Samuel  Goodspeed. 

"  Philipse  Precinct  to  take  the  widow  Farrington  and  John. 
Rhodes'  sister.  If  any  mistake  or  omission  hereafter  appear  it 
is  hereby  agreed  that  all  Errors  shall  be  Rectified.  John  Dufif's 
children  to  be  removed,  the  charges  of  removal  and  whatever 
charges  may  accrue  from  said  removal  to  be  proportionately  de- 
frayed by  the  said  three  Precincts." 

The  Bible  says,  "The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you,"  but  it 
would  seem  by  the  above  list  that  Putnam  county,  as  it  then 
was,  had  very  few  of  that  class.  The  certificate  attached  to  the 
foregoing  arrangement  is  given  iufac  simile.  It  is  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Beverly  Robinson,  doubtless  the  most  prominent  man 
of  the  precinct  in  those  days. 

"Oct.  12th,  1773.  Agreed  with  Samuel  Peters,  Esq.,  that  he 
is  to  build  a  log  house  twenty  five  feet  long,  and  18  feet  wide, 
with  a  stone  chimney  at  each  end,  and  the  sd  house  is  to  be 


/"^^-^^^c^Z^' 


e^ 


^r7^^>l^ 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  155 

finished  the  16th,  day  of  May  next  &  sd  Peters  is  to  have  Thirty 
Pounds  for  building  said  house." 

The  following  account  shows  the  prices  of  things  in  1775: 

"Samuel  Peters,  Esq.  for  supplying  the  poor  House  with 
grain  a  year  ending  this  day  viz.  May  6th,  1775:  14J  bushels 
Corn  at  3s.  6d.,  £2,10,9;  11  bushels  Rye  at  4s.,  2,04,0;  2i 
bushels  wheat  at  6s.,  0,15,0;  21^  lbs.  veal  at  3d.,  0,05,4^ ;  a  bed- 
stead, 0,04,4;  1  cwt.  Pork,  1,10,0.     Total,  £7,09,5i" 

In  1778,  the  following  prices  were  current:  Pork  per  lb.,  4d. ; 
Bacon  per  lb.,  8d.;  Mutton,  3d.;  Beef,  3d.;  Salt  per  bushel, 
16s. ;  Tow  cloth  per  yard.  Is.  5d. ;  Candles  per  lb,  4d. 

The  issue  of  Continental  money  caused  an  inflation  of  prices, 
as  in  more  modern  times.  1778,  Dec.  22d.  Allowed  to  :  "  Elihu 
Secord  for  one  barrel  Sope,  £12;  to  6  lbs.  candles,  2,08;  two 
bushel  of  corn,  2,08;  25  lbs.  salt  pork,  5;  to  four  bushels  of 
Turnips,  1,12;  To  four  bushels  of  Tators  (potatoes),  2,08;  mak- 
ing up  clothing,  7,12;  one  pair  of  shoes,  1,4;  to  keeping  Sarah 
Adkins  one  week,  finding  her  victuals,  1,04." 

A  yoke  of  oxen  sold  to  Elihu  Secor  were  valued  at  £80.  The 
rapid  changes  in  prices  were  arranged  for  as  in  the  following, 
and  thus  marks  the  depreciation  of  Continental  money: 

"Dec.  24th,  1778.  To  Esq.  Peters  for  ]05  lbs.  Pork,  £1,17,8. 
The  price  of  the  above  Article  is  to  be  paid  what  is  current  for 
said  article  when  said  Peters  receives  his  money." 

"April  27th,  1779,  1  bushel  of  wheat,  £3,04." 

"Allowed  to  Joseph  Teed  April  3,  1779  for  the  use  of  one 
cow,  16.  To  16J  bushels  of  wheat,  12  bushels  of  Rye  and  2 
bushels  of  corn,  155,08.  Price  of  said  grain  to  be  paid  what  is 
current  when  said  Teed  receives  his  money." 

"  May  7  1779  To  a  cow,  £100." 

"May  13  1779  The  Precinct  Dr.  to  Elijah  Townsend,  £100. 
The  above  account  was  settled  when  money  was  eight  to  one, 
which  is  to  be  paid  at  that  rate." 

OITICEES    OF   THE   PRECINCTS. 

The  following  ofiicers  were  elected  (after  the  formation  of  the 
Precincts  in  1772)  for  Philipse  Precinct  and  Fredericksburg. 
The  ofiicers  elected  for  the  South  East  Precinct  do  not  appear 
for  that  year  on  the  Records  in  Poughkeepsie. 

Philipse  Precinct :  Supervisor,  Beverly  Robinson;  assessors, 
Caleb  Nelson,    Joseph  Lane;    collector,   William  Dusenbury; 


156  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

constables,  Israel  Taylor,  Isaac  Davenport;  poor  masters, 
Justus  Nelson.  Cornelius  Tompkins.  Fredericksburg:  Super- 
visor, Tertullus  Dickenson;  assessors,  Henry  Luddington, 
James  Dickenson;  collector,  Edward  Rice;  constables,  Wm. 
Underbill,  Wm.  Nelson,  Elijah  Townsend,  Edward  Rice;  poor 
masters,  Jehiel  Bazely,  James  Dickenson. 

The  first  election  of  commissioners  of  highways  was  in  1773, 
when  the  following  were  chosen:  Philipse  Precinct:  Justus 
Nelson,  Moses  Dusenbury,  Isaac  Rhodes;  Fredericksburg: 
James  Dickenson,  Jehiel  Beardsley,  James  Dickenson,  Jr.; 
South  East:  Thomas  Baldwin,  Owen  Hull,  Seth  Nickerson. 

Pound  masters  first  appeared  in  1774,  when  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing occupants  of  that  important  office:  Cornelius  Tompkins, 
John  Oakley,  Joseph  Haight,  Caleb  Nelson. 

Supervisors  of  Philipse  Precinct:  Moses  Dusenbury,  1773; 
Beverly  Robinson,  1774;  Joshixa  Nelson,  1775;  George  Lane, 
1786;  John  Hyatt,  1787.  Of  Fredericksburg,  Tertullus  Dick- 
enson, 1773-76;  Henry  Luddington,  1777,  1778;  Reuben  Ferris, 
1779-84;  John  Drake,  1786;  Reuben  Ferris,  1787.  Of  South 
East:  Joseph  Crane,  jr.,  1773;  John  Field,  1774-76;  Joseph 
Crane,  1778;  William  Mott,  1779,  1780;  Isaac  Crosby,  1782-84; 
Joseph  Crane,  1787. 

Assessors  of  Philipse  Precinct:  Joseph  Lane,  1772;  William 
Dusenbury,  Caleb  Nelson,  1773;  Joshua  Nelson,  William  Dusen- 
bury, 1774;  Cornelius  Tompkins,  Joshua  Nelson,  1775;  John 
Armstrong,  Morris  Smith,  Titus  Travis,  Joshua  Horton,  Isaac 
Davenport,  1786.  Of  Fredericksburg:  Henry  Luddington, 
James  Dickenson,  1772;  Jabez  Berry,  William  Penney,  1773; 
Jabez  Berry,  David  Crosby,  1774-76;  Roswell  Wilcox,  Reuben 
Crosby,  1778;  Alexander  Kidd,  Jonathan  Paddock,  Heman 
King,  Elijah  Townsend,  Elisha  Cole,  James  Wilson,  Jabez  Berry, 
1779;  David  Hecock,  Nehemiah  Jones,  Moody  Howes,  Ebenezer 
Robinson,  Elijah  Townsend,  Solomon  Hopkins,  Jabez  Berry, 
1780;  David  Hecock,  Stephen  Field,  Jabez  Berry,  1782;  Roswell 
Wilcox,  William  Penney,  Timothy  Delavan,  David  Cole, 
Elijah  Townsend,  John  Berry,  1783;  Roswell  Wilcox, 
William  Penney,  Moody  Howes,  Solomon  Hopkins,  Elijah 
Townsend,  John  Berry,  1784;  Jabez  Berry,  David  Crosby, 
jr.,  Roswell  Wilcox,  1786.  Of  South  East:  John  Field,  Samuel 
Berry,  1773;  Robert  Hall,  James  Birdsall,  1774;  Peter  Hall, 
Daniel  Haviland,  1775;  William  Mott,   Nathan  Birdsall,    1776, 


GENERAL   HISTOKY.  157 

William  Mott,  Thomas  Baldwin,  N  athan  Birdsall,  1778;  Thomas- 
Baldwin,  Simeon  Ryder,  1779;  Thomas  Baldwin,  Thomas  Hig- 
gins,  Nathan  Birdsall,  1782;  Thomas  Baldwin,  Thomas  Higgins,^ 
John  Elwell,  1783;  Thomas  Baldwin,  Joseph  Crane,  jr.,  John 
Elwell,  1784;  Joseph  Crosby,  jr.,  Thomas Higgins,  Nathan  Pad- 
dock, 1785;  Thomas  Baldwin,  John  Hopkins,  Thomas  Higgins, 
1786. 

FOEMATION   OF  TOWNS. 

After  the  Revolution  and  upon  the  adoption  of  the  State  Con- 
stitution, an  act  was  passed  for  dividing  the  State  into  counties. 
This  act  established  Dutchess  county  according  to  its  ancient 
boundaries  except  as  to  its  northern  limits,  which  extended 
only  to  the  south  bounds  of  the  Manor  of  Livingston.  March 
7th,  1780,  an  act  was  also  passed  for  dividing  the  counties  of  the 
State  into  towns,  in  which  are  the  following  provisions: 

"And  all  that  part  of  the  County  of  Dutchess,  bounded 
Southerly  by  the  County  of  Westchester,  Westerly  by  Hud- 
son's river,  Northerly  by  the  north  Bounds  of  the  lands  granted 
to  Adolph  PhilipseEsq.,  and  Easterly  by  the  East  bounds  of  the 
Long  Lot  No.  4,  formerly  belonging  to  Beverly  Robinson:  shall 
be,  and  hereby  is  erected  into  a  Town  by  the  name  of  Philips- 
town.  ' ' 

"  And  all  that  part  of  the  said  County  of  Dutchess,  bounded 
Southerly  by  the  County  of  Westchester,  Westerly  by  Philips- 
town,  Northerly  by  the  north  bounds  of  the  lands  granted  to 
Adolph  Philipse  Esq.,  and  Easterly  by  the  East  bounds  of  the 
same  Patent:  shall  be,  and  hereby  is  erected  into  a  Town  by  the 
name  of  Fredericks  Town." 

"  And  all  that  part  of  the  said  County  of  Qutchess,  bounded 
Southerly  by  the  County  of  Westchester,  Westerly  by  Fred- 
ericks Town,  Northerly  by  the  northern  line  of  Fredericks 
Town  continued  to  Connecticut,  and  Easterly  by  Connecticut: 
shall  be,  and  hereby  is  erected  into  a  Town  by  the  name  of 
Southeast  Town." 

The  history  of  these  towns  and  their  subsequent  changes,  will 
be  given  in  separate  chapters,  but  as  the  town  of  Fredericks  was 
a  few  years  later  divided,  the  list  of  town  officers  up  to  the  time 
of  its  division  is  here  given.  At  the  first  election  in  1788,  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected:  Supervisor,  Reuben  Ferris;  town 
clerk,  John  Sickly;   assessors,  Samuel  Towner,  David  Crosby, 


158  HISTORY   OF   PCrTNAM   COUNTY. 

jr.,  Benjamin  Crosby,  David  Cole;  collector,  Timothy  Carver; 
constables,  Archibald  Luddington,  Matthew  Beale,  Jesse  Smith, 
Timothy  Carver;  overseers  of  poor,  Samuel  Towner,  Theodoras 
Crosby,  Benjamin  Crosby. 

The  last  change  that  was  made  in  the  towns  previous  'to  the 
establishment  of  Pntnam  county  v^as  the  following  act,  passed 
March  14th,  1806: 

'•An  Act  to  annex  a  part  of  the  town  of  Philips  to  the  town 
of  Fishkill  in  Dutchess  County." 

"Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly.  That  from,  and  after, 
the  passing  of  this  act,  all  such  part  of  the  town  of  Philips  as 
lies  north  and  west  of  a  line  beginning  by  the  north  river  at 
the  South  westermost  end  of  Break  neck  hill,  running  from 
thence  North  fifty  two  degrees  east  to  the  division  line  between 
the  same  towns  is  hereby  annexed  to  the  town  of  Fishkill,  any 
law  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding." 

li  is  this  change  that  caused  the  northwest  corner  of  Putnam 
county  to  appear  to  be  cut  off,  as  it  really  is. 

Reuben  Ferris  was  re-elected  to  the  office  of  supervisor  of 
Frederickstown  till  1795,  the  year  of  the  division. 

The  assessors  in  1789  were  Samuel  Towner,  David  Crosby  jr., 
Jabez  Berry,  Solomon  Hopkins;  in  1790,  Jacob  Nelson,  David 
Crosby  jr.,  Jabez  Berry,  Solomon  Hopkins;  in  1791,  David 
Cole,  Thatcher  Hopkins,  Samuel  Towner. 

The  disproportion,  in  the  geographical  extent  of  Fredericks- 
town  and  Southeast,  was  so  apparent  and  the  inconveniences 
arising  from  it  were  so  manifest,  that  the  proposal  to  divide 
these  towns  met  with  great  favor,  and  in  accordance  with  this 

general  desire  the  Legislature,  in  1795,  passed  the  following 
Act: 

"■  An  Act  to  divide  Frederickstown  and,  Southeast  town  in 
Dutchess  county,  into  four  towns. 

Passed  17th  of  March,  1795. 

"Be  it  enacted  hy  the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  That  all  that  part  of 
Frederickstown,  lying  west  of  the  east  line  of  Philips' s  long  lot, 
and  south  of  a  line  to  begin  at  a  point  in  the  west  bounds  of 
Frederickstown,  six  miles  from  the  north  bounds  of  the  county 
of  Westchester,  and  running  north  eighty-seven  degrees,  and 
thirty  minutes  east  to  the  State  of  Connecticut,  shall  be  erected 


GENERAL   HISTOEY.  159 

into  a  separate  town,  by  the  name  of  Carmel,  and  the  tirst  town 
meeting  in  the  said  town  of  Carmel,  shall  be  held  at  the  dwelling 
house  of  John  Crane,  Esquire,  in  said  town.  That  all  those 
parts  of  Fredericks  town  and  Southeast  town,  lying  east  of  the 
said  east  line,  of  Philips' s  long  lot,  and  south  of  the  above 
mentioned  line,  beginning  at  a  point  in  the  west  bounds  of  said 
Frederickstown,  six  miles  from  the  north  bounds  of  the 
county  of  Westchester,  and  running  north  eighty  seven  degrees 
and  thirty  minutes  east,  and  continued  to  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, shall  be  erected  into  a  separate  town,  by  the  name  of 
Southeast,  and  the  first  town  meeting  in  the  said  town  of  South- 
east shall  be  held  at  the  dwelling  house  of  Zalman  Sanford  in 
the  said  town,  that  all  those  parts  of  Fredericks  Town  and 
South-East  town,  lying  east  of  the  said  east  line  of  Philips' s 
long  lot,  and  north  of  the  above  mentioned  line,  beginning  at  a 
point  in  the  west  bounds  of  said  Fredericks-town,  six  miles 
from  the  north  bounds  of  the  county  of  West- Chester,  and  run- 
ning north  eighty- seven  degrees,  and  thirty  minutes  east,  and 
continued  to  the  State  of  Connecticut,  shall  be  erected  into  a 
separate  town,  by  the  name  of  Franklin,  and  the  first  town 
meeting  in  the  said  town  of  Franklin,  shall  be  held  at  the 
dwelling  house  of  James  Philips,  in  the  said  town,  and  that  all 
the  remaining  part  of  Fredericks- town,  shall  remain  and  con- 
tinue a  separate  town,  by  the  name  of  Frederick,  and  the  first 
town  meeting  in  the  said  town  of  Frederic,  shall  be  held  at  the 
dwelling  house  of  the  widow  Boyd,  in  the  said  town. 

' '  And  he  it  further  enacted^  That  the  towns  herein  before 
mentioned  to  be  divided,  shall  be  considered  as  divided  from 
and  after  the  first  Monday  in  April  next,  and  that  the  free- 
holders and  inhabitants  of  the  said  towns,  respectively  shall  be, 
and  hereby  are  empowered  to  hold  town  meetings  and  elect 
such  town  officers  as  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  the 
other  towns  of  this  State,  elect  by  a  law  entitled,  '  An  act  for 
dividing  the  counties  of  this  State  into  towns,  passed  7th  March 
1788,'  and  that  the  town  officers  to  be  by  them  elected,  shall 
have  the  like  powers  and  privileges,  as  the  freeholders  and  in- 
habitants, and  town  officers  of  any  other  town  in  this  State,  may 
exercise  by  the  law  aforesaid. 

' '  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  as  soon  as  may  be  after  the 
first  Tuesday  in  April  next,  the  supervisors  and  overseers  of 
the  poor  of  the  towns  aforesaid,  shall  by  notice  to  be  given  for 


160  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

that  purpose  by  the  supervisors  of  the  towns  aforesaid,  meet 
together  and  apportion  the  poor  maintained  by  the  said  towns 
previous  to  the  division  thereof,  between  the  said  former  towns- 
and  the  towns  erected  by  this  act  into  separate  towns  in  an 
equitable  manner;  and  if  the  supervisors  and  overseers  of  the 
poor  cannot  agree  upon  such  division  of  the  poor  as  afore- 
said, then  and  in  such  case  the  supervisors  of  the  county,  shall 
at  their  next  meeting,  apportion  and  divide  the  poor  maintained 
as  aforesaid,  in  such  manner  as  shall  appear  to  them  most  Just 
and  equitable,  and  the  said  towns  shall  thereafter  respectively^ 
maintain  their  own  poor." 


CHAPTER  XII. 


ESTABLISHMENT  OF  PUTNAM  COUNTY;  COUNTY  INSTITU- 
TIONS AND  COUNTY  OFFICERS. 


REVISED   BY   HON.    EDWARD  WRIGHT. 


IN  March,  1807,  a  bill  was  introduced  into  the  Legislature  to 
divide  Dutchess  county.  This  bill  passed  the  Senate  by  a 
vote  of  16  to  13,  but  was  lost  in  the  Assembly  by  a  vote  of  48 
to  47.  In  a  motion  to  reconsider,  the  vote  stood  49  to  49,  and 
the  speaker  voting  in  the  negative,  the  motion  was  lost. 

In  the  Journals  of  the  Legislature,  of  1812,  is  the  following: 
"  Monday,  March  9th.  The  petition  of  sundry  inhabitants  of 
the  Southern  part  of  Dutchess  County  comprised  in  the  towns 
of  Philipstown,  Carmel,  Frederick,  Southeast  and  Patterson, 
praying  for  a  division  of  the  County,  and  the  erection  of  the 
southern  part  thereof  into  a  new  county:  was  read  and  referred 
to  a  select  committee,  consisting  of  Mr.  Comstock,  Mr.  Crosby, 
Mr.  Trowbridge,  Mr.  Darrow  and  Mr.  Stanly." 

"March  15th,  Mr.  Taylor  then  made  a  motion  that  jjursuant 
to  the  order  of  the  day,  the  house  should  resolve  itself  into  a 
committee  of  the  whole  on  the  bill  entitled,  '  An  Act  to  divide 
the  County  of  Dutchess.' 

"Mr.  Radcliff  then  made  a  motion  that  the  house  should 
agree  to  a  resolution  with  a  recital  which  was  read  in  the  words 
following,  to  wit.  Whereas  it  is  reported  to  this  house  by  a 
member  thereof  from  the  County  of  Dutchess,  that  the  names 
of  several  persons  appearing  upon  the  petition  heretofore  pre- 
sented, for  the  division  of  the  County  of  Dutchess,  have  been 
subscribed  thereto  without  their  knowledge  or  consent,  which 
fact  is  also  verified  by  affidavit.  Resolved  that  the  further  con- 
sideration of  the  bill  for  dividing  the  Cotinty  of  Dutchess,  be 
postponed  till  next  Session  to  the  end  that  in  the  mean  time 
11 


162  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

due  inquiry  be  made  into  the  truth  of  said  allegation  and  meas- 
ures be  taken  respecting  the  same."  "The  Yeas  and  Nays 
being  called  for  by  Mr.  Jones,  seconded  by  Mr.  Bryan,  were  as 
follows:  Nays  56,  Afl.  42."  "Thereupon  the  house  resolved 
itself  into  a  committee  of  the  whole,  and  after  some  time  spent 
thereon,  Progress  was  reported,  and  leave  asked  for,  and 
granted,  to  sit  again." 

"  May  25th,  The  house  then  resolved  itself  into  a  committee 
of  the  whole  on  the  bill  to  divide  Dutchess  County.  That  all 
that  part  of  the  County  of  Dutchess  included  in  the  towns  of 
Philipstown,  Carmel,  Frederick,  Patterson  and  Southeast, 
bounded  on  the  east  by  Connecticut,  on  the  south  by  West- 
chester County,  on  the  west  by  Hudson  river,  and  on  the  north 
by  the  towns  of  Fishkill  and  Pawling,  shall  be,  one  separate 
and  distinct  County,  and  shall  be  called  and  known  by  the  name 
of  ."     "Passed,  Yeas  58,  Nays  38."     "Ordered 

that  the  committee  of  the  whole  be  discharged  from  the  con- 
sideration of  the  last  mentioned  bill,  and  that  it  be  referred  to 
a  select  committee  consisting  of  Mr.  Taylor,  Mr.  Van  Rensalaer 
and  Mr.  Weeks,  to  report  the  same  complete." 

"  May  29th,  the  engrossed  bill,  an  'Act  to  divide  the  County 
of  Dutchess '  read  the  third  time.  Mr.  Speaker  put  the  ques- 
tion, carried,  Yeas  62,  Nays  34." 

"  An  ACT  to  divide  the  County  of  Dutchess. 

"  Passed  June  12,  1812. 

"I.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  That  all  that  part  of  the 
county  of  Dutchess  included  in  the  towns  of  Philipstown,  Car- 
mel, Frederick,  Patterson  and  Southeast,  bounded  on  the  east 
by  Connecticut,  on  the  south  by  Westchester  county,  on  the 
west  by  Hudson's  river,  and  on  the  north  by  the  towns  of  Fish- 
kill  and  Pawling,  shall  be  one  separate  and  distinct  county, 
and  shall  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Putnam. 

"  II.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  there  shall  be  held  in 
and  for  the  said  county  of  Putnam  a  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
and  a  Court  of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace,  and  that  there  shall 
be  two  terms  of  the  same  courts  in  the  same  county  in  every 
year,  to  commence  as  follows,  to  wit:  The  first  term  of  the  said 
court  shall  begin  on  the  third  Tuesday  in  October,  and  the 
second  term  shall  begin  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  April,  and 


GENEEAL   HISTORY.  163 

may  continue  to  be  held  until  the  Saturday  following,  inclusive; 
and  the  said  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the 
Peace  shall  have  the  same  jurisdiction,  powers  and  authority, 
in  the  said  county,  as  the  Courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  General 
Sessions  of  the  Peace  in  the  other  counties  of  this  State  have  in 
their  respective  counties:  Provided,  That  nothing  in  this  act 
contained  shall  be  construed  to  affect  any  suit  or  action,  in  any 
court  whatever,  already  commenced  before  the  last  Monday  in 
June,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twelve,  so  as 
to  work  a  wrong  or  prejudice  to  any  of  the  parties  therein,  or 
to  affect  any  criminal  or  other  proceedings  on  the  part  of  the 
people  of  this  state,  but  all  such  civil  and  criminal  proceedings 
shall  and  may  be  prosecuted  to  trial,  judgment  and  execution, 
as  if  this  act  had  not  been  passed. 

"III.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  said  Courts  of 
Common  Pleas  and  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace,  in  the  said 
county  of  Putnam,  shall  be  holden  at  the  Baptist  meeting 
house,  in  the  town  of  Carmel,  until  a  court  house  shall  have 
been  built  as  herein  after  directed  and  provided,  after  which 
time  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  the  said  courts  to  adjourn 
to  the  said  court  house,  and  thereafter  continue  to  hold  the 
terms  of  the  said  courts  at  the  said  court  house,  and  no  action 
or  prosecution  depending  in  the  said  courts  shall  be  abated,  dis- 
continued or  in  any  wise  prejudiced  in  law  by  such  adjourn- 
ment. 

"IV.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  freeholders  and  in- 
habitants of  the  said  county  hereby  erected,  shall  have  and  en- 
joy all  and  every  the  same  rights,  powers  and  privileges,  as  the 
freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  any  other  county  in  this  state 
are  by  law  entitled  to  have  and  enjoy. 

"V.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  said  county  of  Put- 
nam shall  be  entitled  to  elect  one  member  of  Assembly,  and 
the  county  of  Dutchess  shall  be  entitled  to  elect  five  members 
of  Assembly,  in  the  same  manner  as  other  counties  in  this  state 
are  by  law  entitled. 

"VI.  And  be  it  further  enacted;  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  supervisors  of  the  said  counties  of  Dutchess  and  Putnam  to 
•meet  together  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  October  in  the  year  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  twelve,  at  the  village  of  Pough- 
keepsie,  and  adjust  all  accounts,  and  apportion  all  the  monies 
in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  of  the  said  county  of  Dutchess,  as 


164  HISTORY   OP   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

to  them,  or  a  majority  of  them,  shall  appear  just  and  equit- 
able. 

"  VII.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  supervisors  in  the 
several  towns  in  the  county  of  Putnam,  for  the  time  being,  or 
a  majority  of  them,  shall  be  and  they  are  hereby  authorized 
and  required  to  direct  to  be  raised  and  levied  on  the  freeholders 
and  inhabitants  of  the  said  county,  a  sum  not  exceeding  six 
thousand  dollars  for  building  a  court  house  and  gaol  in  said 
county,  with  the  additional  sum  of  three  cents  on  each  dollar 
for  collecting  the  same  which  sums  shall  be  raised  at  such  times 
levied  and  collected,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  other  necessary 
and  contingent  charges  of  the  county  are  levied  and  collected. 

"VIII.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  Joseph  Crane, 
Stephen  Barnum,  Joel  Frost,  Jonathan  Ferris  and  John  Jewitt, 
are  hereby  appointed  commissioners  to  fix  on  the  site  of  a  court 
house  and  gaol  in  said  county  of  Putnam,  and  to  superintend 
the  building  thereof;  and  the  said  commissioners,  or  a  majority 
of  them,  may  contract  with  workmen,  and  purchase  materials 
for  erecting  said  court  house  and  gaol,  and  shall,  from  time  to 
time,  draw  upon  the  treasurer  of  the  said  county  for  such  sums 
of  money,  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  as  shall  come  into  the 
treasury  by  virtue  of  this  act;  and  the  treasurer  is  hereby  re- 
quired, out  of  the  monies  aforesaid,  to  pay  to  the  order  of  the 
said  commissioners  the  several  sums  of  money  to  be  by  them 
drawn  for,  and  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  said  commis- 
sioners to  account  with  the  supervisors  of  the  said  cou  nty.  for 
the  monies  which  they  shall  have  received  from  the  'treasury, 
when  thereunto  required. 

"IX.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  and  may  be 
lawful  for  all  courts,  and  officers  of  the  said  county  of  Putnam, 
in  all  cases  criminal  and  civil,  to  confine  their  prisoners  in  the 
gaol  of  the  county  of  Dutchess,  until  a  gaol  shall  be  erected  and 
finished,  in  the  manner  hereafter  mentioned,  in  the  said  county 
of  Putnam. 

"  X.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  building  to  be 
erected  for  a  gaol  at  the  place  which  shall  be  designated  as 
aforesaid,  shall  be  the  gaol  of  the  said  county  of  Putnam;  and 
as  soon  as  the  same  shall  be  completed  in  such  manner  as,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  sheriff  of  the  county,  is  sufficient  to  confine 
his  prisoners,  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  such  sheriff  to 
remove  his  prisoners,  either  upon  civil  or  criminal  process,  to 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  165 

such  a  gaol,  and  confine  them  therein,  and  such  removal  shall 
not  be  deemed  an  escape  in  such  sheriff. 

"XI.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  it  shall  be  lawful  for 
the  treasurer  of  said  county  of  Putnam  to  retain  in  his  hands 
one  cent  on  each  dollar  for  his  trouble  in  receiving  and  paying 
out  the  monies  directed  to  be  raised  in  the  said  county  by  this 
act." 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1812,  Dr.  Robert  Weeks,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Legislature  when  the  act  was  passed,  sold  to 
the  supervisors  of  the  county  of  Putnam,  "  all  that  certain  lot 
of  land  situated  in  the  town  of  Carmel,  bounded  as  follows: 
Beginning  at  a  poplar  tree  marked  P.  standing  on  the  east  side 
of  the  highway,  thence  south  five  degrees  east,  two  chains; 
thence  north  eighty  five  degrees*  east,  two  chains,  fifty  links; 
thence  north,  five  degrees  west  two  chains,  thence  to  the  place 
of  beginning,  containing  one  half  acre,  for  the  purpose  of  erect  ■ 
ing  thereon  a  Court  House  and  Graol  for  the  county  of  Putnam, 
and  such  other  buildings  as  shall  be  necessary  for  the  con- 
venience and  accommodation  of  said  county  and  no  others." 

The  Court  House  was  built  in  1814,  the  first  court  being  held 
in  it  February  15th,  1815.  Previous  to  that  they  were  held  in 
the  Baptist  meeting  house.  Tn  1842,  an  act  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature,  authorizing  the  county  officers  to  sell  the  Court 
House  and  grounds,  as  a  change  of  site  was  strongly  urged, 
one  party  being  in  favor  of  moving  the  county  seat  to  Cold 
Spring,  while  another  favored  a  new  site  near  the  south  end 
of  the  village  of  Carmel.  When  it  was  found  that  the  deed  did 
not  permit  the  erection  of  any  other  than  county  buildings,  the 
subject  was  dropped  and  never  afterward  agitated.  The  Court 
House  was  repaired  and  improved  about  1840,  at  which  time  the 
present  portico  and  pillars  and  the  belfry  were  added.  The 
jail  was  a  very  small  stone  building  standing  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  Court  House.  The  Court  House  was  again 
repaired  and  enlarged  in  1855,  and  the  present  jail  was  then 
built.  The  first  county  clerk's  office  was  a  small  one  story 
building,  nearly  square,  built  of  brick,  with  a  slate  roof  and  a 
marble  floor.  This  was  built  in  pursuance  of  an  Act  passed 
April  17th,  1822,  "authorizing  the  building  of  a  fire-proof 
Clerk's  office  in  the  County  of  Putnam,"  by  which  the  super- 
visors were  to  appoint  three  commissioners  to  build  the  office, 
and  the  sum  of  $750  was  to  be  raised  by  tax  to  pay  for  the  same. 


166 


HISTORY   OF  l-iiTNAM   COUNTY. 


Before  that  time  the  ofBce  of  the  county  clerk  was  wher- 
ever he  resided.  The  present  county  clerk's  office  was 
built  in  1871,  in  pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,  by  which  Saxton  Smith,  Charles  W.  Budd,  and 
Sylvester  Mabie  were  appointed  "  a  building  committee  to  cause 
to  be  erected  a  fire-proof  building  on  or  near  the  site  of  the 
present  Clerk's  office,  with  sufficient  accommodations  for  the 
county  clerk's  and  suri'ogate's  offices,"  and  they  weve  authorized 
to  borrow  $10,000  for  that  purpose.  The  committee  reported 
on    December    20th,   1871,    that    they    had    contracted    with 


COUKT  HOUSE  AND  COUNTY  CLERK'S  OFFICE. 


Thaddeus  R.  Ganung  for  the  erection  of  the  building  and  that 
the  contract  had  been  fulfilled  and  that  they  had  given  him 
ten  bonds  of  the  county  for  $1,000  each  in  payment.  The 
stone  was  taken  from  a  quarry  north  of  Lake  Gilead.  Some 
of  the  stone  which  was  originally  cut  for  the  proposed  Drew 
Seminary  vras  used  in  the  building. 

•  The  civilization  and  enlightenment  of  the  present  age,  is  shown 
by  nothing  more  plainly  than  by  the  care  and  attention  that  are 
now  bestowed  upon  the  unfortunate  persons  who  are  de- 
pendent on  public  charity.     During  the  times  of    the   "  Pre- 


GENEEAL   HISTORY.  167 

cincts,"  and  up  to  the  year  1830,  the  poor  were  supported  by 
the  barbarous  practice  of  "  farming  out,"  by  which  they  were 
sold  to  the  lowest  bidder  and  their  style  of  support  corresponded 
to  the  small  sums  received  for  their  maintenance.  In  1830,  the 
superintendents  of  the  poor  purchased  from  Warren  Townsend 
three  acres  of  land  in  the  town  of  Kent,  bounded  east  by  the 
west  line  of  Philipse  Long  Lot  No.  6,  south  and  west  by  the 
brook,  and  north  by  Ferris  Brown;  and  another  piece  of  106 
acres  east  of  the  same;  and  also  another  piece  of  27  acres  on  the 
east  side  of  the  highway.  They  also  bought  50  acres  of  Abra- 
ham Hopkins,  bounded  east  by  Philipse  Lot  line.  The  second 
piece  of  106  acres  bought  of  Townsend  is  bounded  west  by 
Philipse  Lot  line.  This  line  runs  west  of  the  house  and  build- 
ings and  crosses  the  brook  and  the  highway  toward  the  north 
end  of  the  farm.  Some  lots  of  woodland  have  since  been  pur- 
chased for  the  use  of  the  institution. 

In  1856,  the  oflBce  of  the  county  superintendent  of  poor  was 
abolished,  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  were  authorized  to 
employ  a  keeper  of  the  poor  house,  who  makes  an  annual 
report. 

The  old  house  and  buildings  becoming  dilapidated  and  en- 
tirely unfit  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended,  an 
effort  was  made  by  some  ladies  connected  with  the  State  Board 
of  Charities,  to  have  more  suitable  accommodations  provided: 
for  the  poor.  Prominent  among  those  who  thus  exerted  them- 
selves in  the  cause  of  humanity,  were  Miss  Julia  Livingston, 
Mrs.  G.  Miller,  Mrs.  Benjamin  D.  Crane  and  Miss  Martha  Barnes. 
As  usual  in  those  cases  the  proposal  met  with  some  opposition, 
from  the  selfish,  but  at  length  the  Board  of  Supervisors  took 
action  and  the  present  convenient  and  comfortable  buildings  were 
erected  in  1879.  The  number  of  paupers  supported  here  dur- 
ing the  past  year  was  44,  and  the  management,  under  the  care 
of  William  C.  Eutrott,  is  creditable  to  the  county. 

The  cost  of  building  the  Court  House  and  jail  is  shown  by  the 
following  extracts: 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  Supervisors  at  the  house  of  Widow 
Waring,  August  26th,  1815,  the  Commissioners  for  building  the 
Court  House  in  &  for  the  County  of  Putnam,  the  Commission- 
ers made  and  presented  to  the  Supervisors  an  account  of  the 
expenses  for  the  Court  House  for  monies  paid  for  the  building, 
the  account  accepted." 


168  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY.' 

"  The  County  of  Putnam.  Dr. 

"  To  Joseph  Crane  for  thirty-nine  days  service  as  Com- 
missioner for  building  Court  House.         .  .        .     $78  00 

Dr.  to    .     45 


33 
"  To  Stephen  Barnura  for  33  days  service  as  Commis- 
sioner for  building  Court  House $66  00 

Dr.  to     .30 


36 
"  To  Joel  Frost  for  25  days  service  as  Commissioner  for 

building  Court  House $50 

Dr.  to     .     30 


20 
"  To  John  Jewitt  28  days  as  Commissioner  for  build- 
ing Court  House. $55 

Dr.  to     .     30 


25 
"  To  Jonathan  Ferris  8- days  as  Commissioner  to   build 
the  Court  House $16 

"  Memorandum  of  Monies  expended  by  the  Commissioners 
appointed  to  fix  the  site  and  build  a  Court  House  and  Gaol  for 
the  County  of  Putnam. 

"To  Cash  paid  to  James  Townsend  for  Building 
Court  House  &  Q-aol  as  per  contract.       .        .        .  $3,800  00 

"  To  Cash  paid  for  extra  iron 41  16 

"  To  Cash  paid  for  chairs  for  Court  room.  .         16  00 

"  To  Cash  paid  for  extra  timber 12  00 

"  To  Cash  paid  extra  iron  and  Smith  work.        .         .         13  70 


$3,882  86" 

"Agreement  with  Supervisors  of  Dutchess  County. 

"These  may  certify  that  we  the  Subscribers,  Supervisors  of 
the  County  of  Dutchess  and  Putnam  for  the  present  year,  hav- 
ing met  at  the  Court  House  of  Poughkeepsie  on  the  first  Tues- 
day in  October,  1812,  pursuant  to  a  law  of  the  State  of  New 
York  passed  June  12th  in  the  same  year,  for  the  purpose  of 
adjusting  accounts  in  the  said  counties,  and  appropriating  the 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


169 


monies  thereof,  have  agreed  and  determined  as  follows,  viz  : 
that  each  county  shall  pay  the  respective  charges  for  removing 
paupers  and  special  Courts  of  Sessions  originating  or  held  in 
the  towns  Composing  or  Constituting  the  said  counties  and 
that  we  find  due  from  the  County  of  Putnam  to  the  County  of 
Dutchess  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  two  dollars  and 
thirty-five  cents,  which  the  Supervisors  of  the  said  County  of 
Putnam  for  themselves  promise  and  engage  shall  be  paid  to  the 
Treasurer  of  Dutchess,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  March  next 
ensuing  the  date  hereof.  And  the  Supervisors  of  the  County  of 
Dutchess  do  by  these  presents  for  themselves  and  their  succes- 
sors exonerate  and  discharge  the  said  County  of  Putnam  from 
all  charges  and  demands,  originating  or  existing  under  the 
County  of  Dutchess,  anterior  to  the  12th  day  of  June,  1812. 
Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  this  8th  day  of  October, 
1812. 

"  Elisha  Barlow,  Chairman,  John  Hayt, 


"  Henry  A.  Livingston, 

"  John  Cox  Jr., 

"  Jeremiah  Sherill, 

" Du  Bois, 

"  Archibald  Campbell, 
*'  Aaron  Stockton, 
'  James  Ketcham, 
"  Isaac  Sherwood, 
'■  Samuel  Mott, 

"  Supervisors  of  the  Co.  of 

"  Dutchess." 


Joshua  Barnum, 
Barnabas  Carver, 
Jonathan  Ferris, 
John  Hazen, 
Supervisors  of  the  Co.  of 
Putnam. 


At  the  organization  of  the  County  Court,  John  Jewitt  was 
the  first  clerk,  and  appointed  Robert  Weeks  his  deputy.  The 
following  is  the  record  of  the  first  term  : 

"October  Term  1812. 
"  At  a  Court  of  Common  Pleas  held  at  the  Baj^tist  Meeting 
house  in  the  town  of  Carmel,  in  and  for  the  County  of  Putnam,  on 
the  20th  day  of  October  1812.  Present :  Stephen  Barnum,  First 
Judge ;  Robert  Johnston,  Harry  Garrison,  Barnabas  Carver. 
Judges. 

"  Court  opened  by  Proclamation  at  the  hour  of  12  o'clock. 


170  HISTOKT   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"Proclamation  that  Sheriff  return  all  Process,  returnable 
here  this  day. 

"Wm.  H.  Johnston,  high  Sheriff  of  the  County  aforesaid 
returns  the  venires  with  the  i>anel  of  Jurors  annexed. 

•'  Proclamation  that  the  Jurors  appear  and  answer. 

"The  panel  being  called  the  following  Jurors  appear,  viz: 
Benjamin  Benedict,  Benjamin  Carl,  Peter  Terry,  Ebenezer 
G".  Palmer,  Philo  Lewis,  Samuel  Maybee,  John  Foshay,  Eden 
Curtis,  Edward  Smith  Jr.,  Joseph  Col  well,  Jesse  Cole.  David 
Knapp,  Cyrus  Horton,  Stephen  Purdy,  Ezra  Hubbell,  Elijah 
Townsend,  John  Gregory,  Peter  Harvey,  Jeremiah  Maybee, 
William  Ally,  William  Miller,  Archibald  Young,  and  Darius 
Doane. 

"Ordered  by  the  Court  here  now  sitting  that  the  seal  here- 
unto annexed,  with  the  following  device  to  wit,  an  oxes  head, 
and  a  two  handled  plough  with  the  words  (seal  of  Putnam 
County  Common  Pleas)  be  adopted  as  the  seal  of  this  Court, 
and  that  precepts  and  process  or  proceedings  which  require 
the  seal  of  the  Court  shall  be  sealed  with  said  seal. 

"Geo.  W.  Niven  applies  to  the  Court  now  sitting  for  R.  C. 
Austin  to  be  admitted  as  an  attorney  &  counsellor  at  Law  in 
this  Court.     Ordered  he  be  admitted  as  such. 

"  Geo.  W.  Niven  makes  application  to  this  Court  now  sitting 
for  Joseph  Silliman  to  be  admitted  as  an  Attorney  and  Counsel- 
lor at  Law  in  this  Court.     The  like  order. 

"George  W.  Niven  makes  application  to  this  Court,  for 
Walker  Todd  to  be  admitted  as  a  Counsellor  and  Attorney  at 
Law  of  this  Court.     Ordered  he  be  admitted  as  such. 

"On  presenting  of  the  license  of  William  Nelson  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  this  State  whereby  it  appears  that  he  is  an 
Atty.  of  that  Court.  Ordered  on  his  own  motion  that  he  be 
admitted  as  an  Attorney  &  Counsellor  at  Law  of  this  Court. 

"The  like  order  as  to  Frederick  Stone.  J.  Coffin,  William 
Silliman,  and  John  Oppie. 

"  Stephen  Lyon  as  one  of  the  petty  Jurors  absent  and  sick. 
By  the  oath  of  Benjamin  Cowl.     Ordered  him  excused. 


GENEKAL   HISTORY. 


171 


Cornelius  Tompkins 

vs. 

Oliver  Cole. 

Jonathan  Ferris 

vs. 

Israel   Owens. 

Cornelius  Tompkins 

vs. 

Thomas  Denny. 

Martha  Sickely 

PS. 

Ezra  Hubbell. 


On  filing  of  the  Oyer  Com. 
Bail  Bond  and  also  a  cogno- 
vit of  the  Attorney  for  the 
Deft,  whereby  he  confesses 
the  Debt  of  the  Pl'f.  in  this 
cause  to  eighty  dollars,  on 
Motion  of  Mr.  Oppie  Atty. 
for  Pl'f,  ordered  Judgment. 


The  like  to  one  hundred 


dollars  of  Debt. 


I       The  like  in  all  things  for 
$150  Debt. 


The  like  in  all  things  for 
$42  damage. 


"Court  met  pursuant  to  adjournment. 

"Present — Stephen  Barnum,  Eobert  Johnston,  Barnabas 
Carver,  Judges. 

"  Court  adjourned  until  the  next  Term  of  Common  Pleas  to 
be  held  at  this  place." 

"June  3rd,  1813.  On  application  of  Joseph  Crane  Esq.,  one 
of  the  Judges  of  this  Court,  for  the  manumission  of  Nimrod  a 
man  of  Colour  belonging  to  said  Joseph  Crane,  whereupon  the 
Court  on  due  examination  find  said  slave  to  be  under  the  age 
of  fifty  years  and  of  sufficient  bodily  strength  and  ability  to 
maintain  and  support  himself  and  that  said  applicant  has  com- 
plied with  the  regulations  of  the  Statute  in  such  case  made  and 


172  HISTORY   OP  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

provided.  Therefore  the  Court  orders  and  directs  the  said 
Nimrod  to  be  manumitted  and  also  do  exonerate  and  discharge 
the  said  Joseph  Crane  and  his  heirs  from  rendering  the  said 
Nimrod  any  further  support  or  sustentation." 

The  jail  limits  as  established  in  1818,  "  began  at  a  stump  near 
the  margin  of  the  pond  nearly  west  from  the  school  house." 
The  school  house  here  mentioned  stood  at  the  north  end  of  the 
park,  opposite  the  present  school  building.  The  bounds  then 
ran  east  17  chains,  90  links,  then  north  58  chains,  then  west  17 
chains,  then  south  27  chains  "to  a  Button  wood  tree  at  the 
shore  of  the  pond  and  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Charles 
Minur's  garden"  (now  the  residence  of  Edwin  Fisher),  and 
thence  to  the  beginning,  embracing  an  area  of  110  acres.  These 
were  enlarged,  in  1820,  to  141  acres. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  act  establishing  Putnam  county 
simply  sets  off  certain  towns  as  a  new  county,  without  actually 
defining  the  true  line  between  Putnam  and  Dutchess.  The  act 
of  the  Colonial  Legislature  in  establishing  the  South  Precinct 
of  Dutchess  county,  describes  it  as  including  the  whole  of  the 
patent  granted  to  Adolph  Philipse.  Whether  the  true  county 
line  was  the  north  line  of  the  "Gore,"  or  the  line  of  the  sur- 
vey of  the  Philipse  Patent,  run  in  1753,  or  a  due  east  line  from 
the  mouth  of  Fishkill  Creek,  remained  in  doubt  ^md  uncer- 
tainty. In  1832,  an  act  was  passed  "To  suryey,_q,Qd.  settle  the 
North  Boundary  Line  of  the  County  of  Putnam."  "It  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  Surveyor  General  to  survey,  run  out  and 
designate  by  proper  land  marks,  the  boundary  line  between  the 
Counties  of  Putnam  and  Dutchess,  the  same  being  the  northerly 
line  of  the  County  of  Putnam,  as  the  same  is  described  in  the 
third  volume  of  the  Revised  Statutes,  as  nearly  as  the  said 
boundary  line  can  be  ascertained,  but  such  survey  shall  not  be 
made  until  the  expense  thereof  shall  be  provided  for  by  the 
counties  of  Dutchess  and  Putnam,  or  one  of  them." 

There  were  three  lines  proposed.  The  first  consisted  of  the 
Compromise^  Lines,  or  the  north  lines  oi  the  Gores  of  the 
Rumbout  and  Beekman  Patents.  The  second  was  the  line  of 
survey  of  the  north  line  of  the  Philipse  Patent,  in  1753,  which 
began  at  the  mouth  of  Fishkill  Creek  and  ran  north,  87  degrees 
east,  to  the  Oblong.  The  third  was  a  due  east  line  from  the 
mouth  of  Fishkill  Creek,  to  the  Connecticut  line.  A  map 
showing  these  lines  is  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  State. 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  173 

Among  the  records  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Dutchess 
county,  is  a  letter  from  the  surveyor  general,  stating  that  he 
should  consider  the  east  and  west  line  as  the  true  boundary. 
A  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  of  that  county  states 
that  "the  east  and  vs^est  line  being  generally  known,  there  was 
no  necessity  of  voting  any  money  to  locate  it."  Consequently 
nothing  was  ever  done  to  mark  the  line  by  proper  monu- 
ments. 

A  traditionary  line  is  accepted  at  various  points  as  the  county 
line;  for  example,  the  south  line  of  the  farm  of  Gilbert  Tabor, 
in  Patterson,  and  the  north  line  of  the  Ludington  property,  in 
Kent;  bat  there  is  no  certainty  about  the  matter.  No  action 
was  taken  by  Putnam  county  in  regard  to  the  disputed 
boundary. 

Judges  of  Putnam  County  Court  of  Common  Pleas  from 
1812  to  1884:— 1812,  Stephen  Barnum,  1st.,  Eobert  Johnston, 
Henry  Garrison,  Barnabas  Carver.  1813,  Joseph  Crane,  Robert 
Johnston,  Henry  Garrison,  John  Crane,  Stephen  Hayt.  1815, 
Barnabas  Carver,  Robert  Johnston,  Henry  Garrison,  Jonathan 
Morehouse,  John  Patterson.  1818,  Henry  Garrison,  1st.,  Bar- 
nabas Carver,  John  Patterson,  Jonathan  Morehouse.  1820, 
Abraham  Smith,  William  Watts,  David  Jackson,  John  Patter- 
son, John  Hoyt.  1821,  Barnabas  Carver,  Jonathan  Morehouse, 
William  Watts,  Abraham  Smith.  1823,  Henry  Garrison,  Bar- 
nabas Carver,  Stephen  C.  Barnum,  James  Lowner,  Edward 
Smith.  1829,  Frederick  Stone,  1st.,  Bennet  Boyd,  Samuel 
Washburn,  Ebenezer  Foster,  Cyrus  Horton.  1832,  Henry  Gar- 
rison. 1833,  Bennet  Boyd,  1st.,  David  Kent.  1835,  Stephen 
Pinckney.  1836,  Ebenezer  Foster.  1838,  David  Kent,  Bennet 
Boyd,  1st.,  John  Garrison.  1841,  Henry  J.  Belden,  Cornelius 
Warren.  1843,  Robert  P  Parrott,  1st.,  Azor.  B.  Crane,  Benja- 
min B.  Benedict,  Thatcher  B.  Theall.  1845,  Nathaniel  Cole. 
1847,  Azor.  B.  Crane,  elected  Judge  and  Surrogate  under  the 
new  Constitution  of  1846. 

County  Judges  from  1847:— 1847,  Azor.  B.  Crane.  1851,  Am- 
brose Ryder.     1863,  Edward  Wright.     1884,  William  Wood. 

Surrogates  from  1813  to  1847:— 1813,  Joel  Frost.  1819, 
Walker  Todd.  1821,  Joel  Frost.  1823,  Jeremiah  Hine.  1827, 
Jeremiah  Hine.  1832,  Walker  Todd.  1836,  Walker  Todd.  1839, 
Howard  H.  White.  1840,  Abraham  Smith.  1844,  Azor.  B. 
Crane. 


174  HISTORY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

The  offices  of  coantj'^  jndge  and  surrogate  have  been  com- 
bined since  1846. 

District  Attorneys:— 1818,  Walker  Todd.  1821,Frederic  Stone. 
1829,  Jeremiah  Hine.  1838,  Frederic  Stone.  1847,  Charles  Ga 
Nun.  1850,  John  Gr.  Miller.  1850,  Frederic  Stone.  1853,  John 
G.  Miller.  1856,  Peter  M.  Jordan.  1858,  Levi  H.  McCoy.  1861, 
Jackson  O.  Dykman.  1864,  James  D.  Little.  1870,  Samuel  J. 
Owen.  1876,  William  Wood.  1883,  Frederic  S.  Barnum.  1885, 
Abram  J.  Miller. 

Names  of  Attorneys  on  Court  Roll :— 1812,  Goorge  W.  Niven. 
1813,  Frederic  Stone,  William  Nelson,  Amos  Belden.  1815, 
Walker  Todd,  Henry  B.  Lee,  William  Brow^n,  John  Philips. 
1816,  Cornelius  Master,  Philo  Ruggles.  1817,  William  H. 
Johnston,  Edvrard  Buckbee,  Moses  Hatch,  Jonas  Strong,  Isaac 
Hoffman,  Robert  P.  Lee.  1818,  E.  Nye.  1819,  James  Youngs, 
Stephen  Cleveland,  James  W.  Oppie,  Samuel  B.  Halsey, 
Jeremiah  Hine,  Samuel  Youngs,  J.  W.  Strang.  1820,  Henry  B. 
Cowles.  1836,  Stephen  D.  Horton,  Lewis  Robinson.  1839, 
Eleazar  M.  Swift,  Elijah  Yerks,  Howard  H.  White.  1840, 
Thomas  Nelson,  Ebenezer  C.  Southerland,  Silas  H.  Hickok, 
Owen  T.  Coffin,  William  FuUerton.  1841,  J.  H.  Ferris.  1842. 
Samuel  F.  Reynolds,  Benjamin  Bailey.  1843,  John  Curry, 
Charles  Ga  Nnn,  Peter  S.  Jordan,  William  J.  Blake.  1844, 
John  S.  Bates,  Thomas  R.  Lee,  James  H.  Borland.  1846, 
William  A.  Dean,  Calvin  Frost.  1847,  John  G.  Miller,  James 
D.  Stevenson,  Charles  M.  Tompkins,  Amri  L.  Dean.  1855, 
Charles  H.  Ferris.  1857;  Thomas  G.  Barnum.  1866,  Seymour 
B.  Nelson.  1876,  William  Wood,  George  E.  Anderson.  1877, 
James  Gardiner.  1878,  George  W.  Horton.  1880,  Ward  B. 
Yeomans.     1881,  Clayton  Ryder,  Frederic  S.  Barnum. 

Representatives  in  Congress  : — 1817,  Henry  B,  Lee.  1837, 
Gouverneur  Kemble.     1847,  Cornelius  Warren. 

State  Senators:— 1828-31,  Walker  Todd.  1848-49,  Saxton 
Smith.     1864-65,  Saxton  Smith. 

Members  of  Assembly:— 1814,  Joshua  Barnum,  jr.  1815, 
David  Knapp.  1816,  Henry  B.  Lee.  1817,  Edward  Smith,  jr. 
1818,  William  H.  Johnston.  1819,  Hart  Weed.  1820,  David 
Knapp.  1821,  Elisha  Brown.  1822,  Edward  Smith.  1823,  Wil- 
liam Watts.  1824,  Stephen  C.  Barnum.  1825,  David  Knapp. 
1826-28,  Henry  B.  Cowles.  1829,  Thomas  W.  Taylor.  1830, 
James  Towner.  1831,  Bennet  Boyd.  1832,  Reuben  D.  Barnum. 
1833,  John  Garrison.     1834,  Jonathan  Morehouse.     1835,  Daniel 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  175 

Kent.  1836,  Moses  C.  Robinson.  1837,  John  Crawford.  1838, 
Saxton  Smith.  1839,  Herman  R.  Stephens.  1840,  Saxton  Smith. 
1841,  James  H.  Cornwall.  1842,  Ebenezer  Foster.  1843,  Syl- 
vanus  Warren.  1844,  Saxton  Smith.  1845-47,  Benjamin 
Bailey.  1847,  Benjamin  B.  Benedict.  1848,  Chauncey  R. 
Weeks.  1849,  James  J.  Smalley.  1850-51,  William  Bowne. 
1852-53,  ISTathan  A.  Howes.  1854-55,  James  J.  Smalley.  1856, 
Benjamin  Bailey.  1857,  Chauncey  R.  Weeks.  1858,  John  Gar- 
rison. 1859-60,  Edwin  A.  Pelton.  1861,  Charles  T.  Brewster. 
1862,  Thomas  H.  Reed.  1863,  Saxton  Smith.  1864-65,  Jeremiah 
Sherwood.  1866-67,  Stephen  Baker.  1868,  Samuel  D.  Humph- 
rey. 1869-70,  Morgan  Horton.  1871,  Sarles  Drew.  1872,  James 
B.  Dykeman.  1873,  William  S.  Clapp.  1874,  Hamilton  Fish, 
jr.  1875,  William  H.  Christopher.  1876-79,  Hamilton  Fish,  jr. 
1880,  George  McCabe.  1881,  Charles  H.  Everett.  1882,  Robert 
A.  Livingston.  1883,  James  W.  Brooks.  1884,  Henry  D.  Clapp. 
1885,  Robert  A.  Livingston.     1886,  Henry  Mabie. 

County  Clerks:— 1812,  John  Jewett.  1815,  William  H.  John- 
ston. 1817,  James  Townsend,  jr.  1820,  Rowland  Bailey.  1821, 
James  Towner.  1822,  Jonathan  Morehouse.  1837,  William  H. 
Sloat.  1840,  Reuben  D.  Barnum.  1852,  Ira  Mead.  1857,  Agus- 
tus  Hazen.  1860,  Edward  Wright.  1863,  John  K.  Watt.  1875, 
Edward  B.  Thompson.     1884,  Edward  C.  Weeks. 

Sheriffs:— 1812,  William  H.  Johnston.  1813-14,  Peter  Crosby. 
1815-18,  Peter  Warren.  1819-20,  Edward  Buckbee.  1821, 
Joseph  Cole.  1822  23,  Edward  Buckbee.  1826,  Thomas  W. 
Taylor.  1829,  Joseph  Cole,  2d.  1832,  Nathaniel  Cole.  1885, 
Thomas  W  Taylor.  1838,  George  W.  Travis.  1840,  William 
W.  Taylor.  1843,  James  Smith.  1846,  William  W.  Taylor. 
1849,  James  J.  Smalley.  1849,  Joseph  E.  M.  Nobby,  ap.  1852, 
Harvey  Mead.  1855,  Charles  T.  Brewster.  1858,  Daniel  B. 
Lockwood.  1861,  Charles  T.  Brewster.  1864,  John  J.  Smalley. 
1867,  John  Butler.  1870,  Richard  R.  Horton.  1873,  James  O. 
Cole.  1876,  Edmund  Doane.  1879,  James  0.  Cole.  1883,  James 
J.  Dakin.     1884,  Jeremiah  W.  Hazen. 

County  Treasurers: — 1848,  Thomas  W.  Taylor.  1854,  Leonard 
K.  Everett.  1857,  Addison  J.  Hopkins.  1860,  James  J.  Smalley. 
1869,  Thatcher  H.  Theall.  1870,  John  Cornish.  1873,  Ambrose 
Ryder.  1873,  Daniel  Baker.  1876,  Hillyer  Ryder.  1885,  Hillyer 
Ryder. 

School  Commissioners  from  1859  to  present  time : — George  F. 


176  HISTORY   OP   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Sherman,  Jackson  O.  Dykman,  Peter  B.  Curry,  William  Town- 
send,  2d,  Charles  H.  Ferris,  John  H.  Spencer,  Thomas  H.  Reed, 
James  A.  Foshay. 

Coroners  :— 1812,  William  Brown,  Edward   Buckbee.     1813, 
Edward  Buckbee.     1816,  Joseph  Benedict,  Samuel  Townsend. 
1817,    Joseph    Benedict.     1818,    Orrin    M.    Armstrong,  David 
Mooney,  Henry  Haldane,  Samuel  Townsend.     1819,  Orrin  M. 
Armstrong,  Henry  Haldane,   Samuel  Townsend.     1820,  Henry 
Haldane,  David  Dingee,  Erastus  Smith,   Orrin  M.  Armstrong, 
James    Dykeman.     1821,    James    Dykeman,    Henry   Haldane, 
David   Dingee,   William   Brown.     1822,    Henry   Haldane,   Na- 
thaniel   Delavan,    James  Dykeman.      1823,    Henry    Haldane, 
Azahel  Cole,  William  Eaymond.  1826,  Benjamin  Dykeman  jr., 
William  H.  Sloat,  Edmund  Burtch,  Nathaniel  Delavan.     1829, 
William  Raymond,  John  Garrison.     1832,  Lewis  Rogers,  Sey- 
mour Allen,    David   Dingee,    John  F.    Haight.      1835,    Lewis 
Rogers,    John    F.    Haight,    Stillman    Boyd.     1837,    James   J. 
Smalley.    1838,  John  F.  Haight,  Cornelius  Nelson  jr.,  Abraham 
Everett.     1839,   Amos  Tompkins,   Sela  G-age.     1841,  Cornelius 
Nelson  jr.,  Jeremiah  Dewel.     1843,  Addison  J.  Hopkins,  James 
Barker.     1845,   Hart  Weed,  Elisha   C.   Baxter,    Cyrus   Chase. 
1846,  James   Barker.     1847,   John   Simonson.     1848,  Cornelius 
Dean.     1849,  A.  G.  Travis.     1851,  Jeremiah  Dewel,  George  W. 
Mikmak.     1852,  Cornelius  Dean,  Henry  W.  Lewis.     1855,  Har- 
rison  Chapman.     1856,  Henry   Smith.      1859,  Stephen  Minor, 
Charles  H.  Minor.     1862,  A.  J.  Barnes,   Stephen  Minor.     1863, 
Edwin  Fowler,    J.  Hazen  Perry.     1864,    Robert  A.  Ketchum. 
1866,  Andrew  J.  Foshay,  J.  Hazen  Perry,  Edmond  J.  Wixon. 
1868,   Robert  A.  Fletcher,  Alfred  Bailey,   Alvin  Chase.     1869, 
Andrew  J.  Foshay,  Sylvester  B.  Truesdell.     1871,  Daniel  Til- 
lotson.     1872,  Charles  Bullock.     1872,  Daniel  S.  Judd.     1874, 
Joseph  G.  Cole,  Philip  D.  Penny.     1875,  Wellington  Ketchum, 
Sylvester  B.  Truesdell.    1877,  Joseph  G.  Cole,  Walter  S.  Crosby. 
1878,   John  A.  Reed,   Martin  V.  B.    Stevens.     1880,  Joseph  G. 
Cole,   Francis  Butterfass.     1882,  Martin  V.  B.  Stevens.     1883, 
William  H.   Cowl,  Francis  Butterfass.     1884,   John  A.   Reed, 
1885,  Martin  V.  B.  Stevens. 

AGRICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

The  Agricultural   Society  of    the  County  was   organized  in 
1851.    Its  first  president  was  Thomas  B.  Arden,  of  Philipstown; 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  177 

first  secretary,  Hugh  C.  Wilson,  of  Putnam  Valley;  first  treas- 
urer, Saxton  Smith,  of  Putnam  Valley.  The  first  County  Fair 
was  held  Oct.  8th  and  9th,  1851,  at  Carmel. 

For  several  years  its  annual  fairs  were  successively  held  at 
Carmel,  Lake  Mahopac  and  Brewster;  Ttc  fairs  are  now  con- 
tinuously held  at  Carmel,  the  society  1  ing  acquired  a  per- 
petual lease  of  about  eight  acres  of  land,  on  which  it  has  erected 
a  large  and  commodious  building  for  its  exhibitions  and  con- 
structed an  excellent  half-mile  driving  track. 


13 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  CLAIM  OF  JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR. 

THE  most  important  episode  in  the  modern  history  of  Put- 
nam county  was  the  great  trial  and  controversy  which 
attended  the  claim  of  John  Jacob  Astor  to  the  ownership  of  the 
reversionary  right  to  the  lands  included  in  Lots  3,  5  and  9, 
which  were  the  share  of  Mary  Morris  as  one  of  the  three  owners 
of  the  Philipse  Patent.  For  the  full  understanding  of  the 
origin  of  this  claim,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  deed  of  mar- 
riage settlement  made  by  Mary  Philipse  and  Roger  Morris  pre- 
vious to  their  marriage,  a  copy  of  which  may  be  found  in  this 
work. 

According  to  the  terms  of  this  deed,  the  lands  belonging  to 
Mary  Philipse  were  to  be  to  the  use  of  Mary  Philipse  and  her 
husband,  Roger  Morris,  during  their  lives,  and  after  their  de- 
cease, the  lands  were  to  go  to  their  children.  After  the  Revo- 
lution Mary  Morris  and  her  husband  removed  to  England  and 
never  afterward  returned  to  their  native  land.  As  stated  in  a 
previous  chapter  their  lands  were  confiscated  and  sold  to  various 
purchasers,  most  of  whom  were  already  in  actual  possession  as 
tenants  under  Col.  Morris  and  his  wife.  It  soon  became  known 
that  the  only  title  which  the  State  could  lawfully  give  was  the 
title  actually  existing  in  Mary  Morris  and  her  husband,  at  the 
time  of  the  sale,  and  could  not  affect  the  title  of  their  children. 

Roger  Morris  died  about  1795,  and  his  wife  died  July  2d, 
1825.  The  children  of  their  marriage  were:  Amherst,  who  died 
unmarried  and  intestate,  in  1802;  Joanna,  who  married  Thomas 
Cowper  Hincks;  Margaret,  who  died  when  two  years  of  age; 
Maria;  and  Henry  Gage  Morris,  all  of  whom  resided  in  Eng- 
land. 

A  petition  was  presented  to  the  Legislature,  February  16th 
1787,  by  Joanna  Morris  on  behalf  of  herself  and  her  brothers 


GEISTEBAL   HISTOKY.  179 

and  sisters,,  stating  their  claims  and  praying  for  ^relief.  This 
petition  was  referred  to  a  committee,  who  reported  that  if  the 
statements  therein  made  were  true,  the  ordinary  course  of  law 
was  competent  for  their  relief,  without  legislation,  and  this 
report  was  adopted  by  the  Legislature.  Some  alarm  was  felt 
by  the  persons  owning  farms  under  the  confiscation  sale,  for 
in  1807  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  Legislature  by  Enoch 
Crosby  and  others,  calling  attention  to  the  claim  presented  by 
the  children  of  Roger  Morris,  and  praying  that  steps  might  be 
taken  to  quiet  thesg  claims,  but  no  decided  action  was  taken. 

In  1809,  John  Jacob  Astor,  the  famous  millionaire  of  his  day, 
purchased  from  the  children  of  Roger  Morris  all  their  right  to 
the  lands  in  question.  The  conveyance  was  made  in  the  old 
form  of  lease  and  release,  by  which  the  heirs  gave  a  lease  of  the 
land  "  for  one  whole  year,"  "  In  order  that  the  said  John  Jacob 
Astor  should  be  in  actual  possession,  by  force  of  the  Statute 
for  transferring  uses  into  possession."  The  lease  was  dated 
December  18th,  1809,  and  a  formal  deed  was  executed  on  the 
following  day  as  follows: 

"  This  Indentuee  made  the  nineteenth  day  of  December  in 
the  fiftieth  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  George  the 
third  by  the  grace  of  God  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland  King  defender  of  the  faith  and  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  nine  Between 
Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  of  Somerset  street  Portman  Square  in 
the  Parish  of  Saint  Mary  Le  Bone  and  County  of  Middlesex 
Esquire  and  Joanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  of  the  City  of  York 
Spinster  &  Henry  Gage  Morris  of  Somerset  street  aforesaid  Es- 
quire a  Commander  in  his  Majesty's  Royal  Navy  which  said 
Joanna  Hincks  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  are  the 
three  surviving  children  of  Mary  Morris  now  of  the  said  City  of 
York  but  formerly  of  New  York  in  America  by  Roger  Morris 
her  husband  deceased  of  the  one  part  and  John  Jacob  Astor 
of  the  City  of  New  York  in  America  Merchant  of  the  other 
part  Whereas  under  and  by  virtue  of  Letters  Patent  of  his 
Majesty  King  William  the  third  under  the  Great  Seal  of  the 
Province  of  New  York  bearing  date  on  or  about  the  seven- 
teenth day  of  June  in  the  year  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  all  that  tract  of  Land  in  Dutchess  County  situate 
lying  and  being  in  the  highlands  on  the  east  side  of  Hudsons 
river  Beginning  at  a  red  cedar  tree  marked  V  on  the  north  side 


180  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

of  the  Hill  commonly  called  Anthony's  nose  which  "is  likewise 
the  bound  of  Colonel  Stephen  Van  Courtlandts  land  on  his 
Manor  of  Courtlandt  and  from  thence  bounded  by  the  said 
Hudsons  river  as  the  said  river  runs  northerly  until  it  comes 
to  the  Creek  River  or  run  of  water  called  and  known  by  the 
name  of  the  great  fish  Kill  to  the'  northward  and  above  the 
said  Highlands  which  is  likewise  the  southward  bounds  of 
land  belonging  to  the  said  Colonel  Stephen  Van  Courtlandt 
and  Company  and  so  easterly  along  the  said  Courtlandt' s  line 
and  the  south  bounds  of  Colonel  Henry-  Beekman  until  it 
comes  twenty  miles  or  unto  the  division  or  'partition  line  be- 
tween the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  said  Province  and 
Easterly  by  the  said  division  line  and  being  bounded  northerly 
and  southerly  by  east  and  west  lines  unto  the  said  division  line 
between  the  said  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  Province  afore- 
said the  whole  being  bounded  westward  by  the  said  Hudson's 
river  northward  by  the  Land  of  Colonel  Courtlandt  and  Com- 
pany and  the  Land  oE  Colonel  Beekman  eastward  by  the  parti- 
tion line  between  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  and  the  Province 
of  New  York  and  southerly  by  the  Manor  of  Courtlandt  to  the 
Land  of  the  said  Colonel  Courtlandt  including  therein  a  certain 
Island  at  the  north  side  of  the  said  High  Lands  called 
Pollaples  Island  with  the  hereditaments  and  appurtenances 
thereto  belonging  and  granted  unto  Adolph  Philipse  Esquire 
his  heirs  and  assigns  forever  who  shortly  after  the 
granting  of  the  said  Letters  Patent  departed  this  life  intestate 
leaving  Frederick  Philipse  Esquire  his  Nephew  and  heir 
at  Law  and  Whereas  the  said  Frederick  Philipse  in  and 
by  his  last  will  and  testament  in  writing  duly  executed  and  at- 
tested for  the  devise  of  Lands  of  Inheritance  and  bearing  date 
on  or  about  the  sixth  day  of  June  in  the  year  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty-one  devised  the  aforesaid  tract  of  Land 
unto  his  son  Philip  Philipse  his  daughter  Susannah  then  the  wife 
of  Beverly  Robinson  his  daughters  the  said  Mary  Morris  by  her 
then  name  of  Mary  Philipse  and  Margaret  Philipse  in  equal 
shares  to  them  and  the  heirs  of  their  bodies  forever  and  if  any  or 
either  of  them  should  die  without  issue  in  such  case  the  quarter 
part  thereby  devised  to  him  her  or  those  of  them  so  dying  with- 
out issue  should  be  equally  divided  among  the  survivors  And 
Whereas  the  said  Margaret  the  youngest  daughter  of  the  said 
Frederick  Philipse  departed  this  life  without  having  had  any 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  181 

issue  of  her  body  Lawfully  begotten  whereby  the  said  Philip 
Philipse  Susannah  Robinson  and  Mary  Philipse  became  entitled 
to  the  said  lands  and  hereditaments  in  equal  shares  And  Where- 
as in  or  about  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  the  said  Philip  Philipse  Beverly  Robinson  and  Susannah 
his  wife  and  Mary  Philipse  duly  suffered  a  common  recovery  of 
the  said  Land  and  hereditaments  and  under  the  uses  of  that  re- 
covery became  seized  of  the  said  tract  of  land  and  heredita- 
ments as  Tenants  in  Common  in  fee  And  Whereas  by  indenture 
bearing  date  on  or  about  the  seventh  day  of  February  in  the 
year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  four  duly  acknowl- 
edged before  Joseph  Murray  then  one  of  his  Majesty's  Council 
for  the  said  Province  of  New  York  and  made  or  expressed  to 
be  made  between  the  said  Philip  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robin- 
son and  Susannah  his  wife  of  the  one  part  and  the  said  Mary 
Morris  by  her  then  name  of  Mary  Philipse  of  the  other  part 
after  reciting  the  said  Letters  Patent  herein  before  in  part  re- 
cited and  also  reciting  that  the  said  parties  had  by  Jonathan 
Hampton  their  Surveyor  divided  the  greatest  part  of  the  said 
tract  of  land  and  distinguished  the  same  by  Lots  signed  and 
delivered  by  Hampton  and  left  with  the  said  Beverly  Robinson 
for  the  use  of  himself  and  the  other  Parties  to  the  now  reciting 
Indenture  and  that  in  order  to  have  an  equal  division  they  had 
according  to  divers  assortments  made  by  the  said  Jonathan 
Hampton  drawn  their  several  Lots  whereupon  the  Lots  No.  3 
No.  Sand  No.  9  and  one  third  part  of  the  meadow  land  lying  in 
Lot  No.  2  laid  down  in  the  Map  did  then  belong  to  the  share  of 
the  said  Mary  Morris  then  Mary  Philipse  and  were  butted  and 
bounded  as  follows  Lot  No.  3  Beginning  at  two  hemlock  bushes 
standing  in  a  Grully  between  Bull  and  Breakneck  hills  on  the 
east  side  of  Hudsons  river  and  from  thence  running  north  seventy 
seven  degrees  East  three  hundred  and  eighty  six  chains  to  a 
heap  of  stones  and  walnut  bush  marked  P.  R.  1753  Standing  in 
the  west  line  of  Lot  No.  4  and  is  also  the  north  east  corner  of 
Lot  No.  2  then  North  ten  degrees  Bast  two  hundred  and  twenty 
eight  chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  thirty  links  north  of  a  white 
oak  tree  marked  P.  1753  being  the  north  west  corner  of  Lot 
No.  4  then  south  eighty  seven  degrees  west  four  hundred  and 
eighty  chains  to  the  mouth  of  the  Fish  Kill  from  thence  down 
the  several  courses  of  Hudson's  river  to  the  beginning  includ- 
ing Pollaples  Island  containing  about  eight  thousand  six  hun- 


182  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

dred  acres.  Lot  No.  5  Beginning  at  a  heap  of  Stones  in  the  line 
of  the  Manor  Courtlandt  at  the  South  East  corner,  of  Lot  No. 
4  then  north  ten  degrees  east  nine  hundred  and  forty  seven 
chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  at  the  north  east  corner  of  Lot  No. 
4  then  North  eighty  seven  degrees  east  three,  hundred  and 
forty  four  chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  virhich  is  the  northwest 
corner  of  Lot  No.  6  then  south  ten  degrees  west  along  the  line 
of  Lot  No.  6  nine  hundred  and  sixty  chains  to  a  heap  of 
stones  in  the  line  of  the  Manor  Courtlandt  at  the  South 
west  corner  of  Lot  No.  6  then  west  along  the  line  of  the 
Manor  Courtlandt  three  hundred  and  forty  chains  to  the  Begin- 
ning containing  about  thirty  one  thousand  two  hundred  acres. 
Lot  No.  9  Beginning  at  a  hemlock  tree  standing  on  the  south 
side  of  the  east  branch  of  Croton  River  and  a  heap  of 
stones  on  the  north  side  which  is  also  the  south  east  corner 
of  Lot  No.  6  in  the  line  of  the  Manor  Courtlandt  from  thence 
running  north  ten  degrees  ease  three  hundred  and  thirty  three 
chains  to  a  heap  of  stones  and  a  walnut  tree  marked  P.  R.  1753 
on  the  south  side  of  the  hill  near  an  old  Meeting  House  in  the 
line  of  Lot  No.  6  being  the  South  West  corner  of  Lot  No.  8  then 
east  along  the  line  of  Lot  No.  8  three  hundred  and  thirty  seven 
chains  to  a  chestnut  Bush  marked  P.  R.  1753  Standing  in  the 
oblong  line  on  the  west  side  of  Rocky  Hill  which  is  the  south 
east  corner  of  Lot  No.  8  then  southerly  as  the  oblong  line  runs 
three  hundred  and  thirty  chains  to  the  north  east  corner  of  the 
Manor  of  Courtlandt  in  Peach  Pond  then  west  along  the  said 
Manor  of  Courtlandt  three  hundred  and  thirty  six  chains  to 
the  beginning  containing  about  eleven  thousand  two  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  and  the  one  third  part  of  the  Meadow  Land 
lying  in  Lot  No.  2  Beginning  five  chains  from  the  upland  upon 
Danfords  Creek  and  running  to  Crooked  Creek  five  chains  from 
the  upland  then  down  Crooked  Creek  to  the  Meadow  belonging 
to  Lot  No.  7  then  north  west  to  Martlers  Rock  then  along  the 
upland  the  North  side  of  a  little  Island  in  the  Meadow  to  the 
mouth  of  Danfords  Creek  then  up  the  said  Creek  to  the  begin- 
ning containing  about  eighty  two  acres.  It  is  Witnessed  that 
in  consideration  of  the  mutual  grant  from  the  said  Mary  Morris 
then  Philipse  to  the  said  Philip  Philipse  and  Susannah  Robin- 
son and  their  heirs  of  divers  other  lands  in  the  said  Letters 
Patent  mentioned  the  said  Philip  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robin- 
son and  Susannah  his  wife  did  grant  bargain  sell  alien  release 


GENEEAL   HISTORY.  183 

and  confirm  unto  the  said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  her  heirs 
and  assigns  all  and  singular  the  Lots  before  described  with  the 
appurtenances  To  hold  the  same  unto  and   to  the  use  of  the 
said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  her  heirs  and  assigns  forever 
And  Whereas  by  Indenture  of  lease  and  release  bearing  date 
respectively  on  or  about  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  days  of 
January  in  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  eight 
and  made  or  expressed  to  be  made  between  the  said  Mary  Mor- 
ris then  Philipse  of  the  first  part  Major  Roger  Morris  of  the 
second  part  and  Joanna  Philipse  and  the  said  Beverly  Robinson 
of  the  third  part  being  the  settlement  made  previous  to  the 
marriage  then  intended  to  be  and  afterwards  duly  solemnized 
between  the  said  Roger  Morris  and  the  said  Mary  his  wife.     It 
is  witnessed  that  for  the  consideration  therein  mentioned  she 
the  said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  did  grant  bargain  sell  release 
and  confirm  unto  the  said  Joanna  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robin- 
son and  their  heirs  the  aforesaid  several  lots  or  parcels  of  land 
herein  before  particularly  described  and  all  other  the  lands  and 
hereditaments  of  her  the  said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  To 
hold  the  same  unto  the  said  Joanna  Philipse  and  Beverly  Rob- 
inson and  their  heirs  to  the  use  of  the  said  Joanna  Philipse  and 
Beverly  Robinson  and  their  heirs  until  the  solemnization  of  the 
said  then  intended  marriage  and  after  the  solemnization  thereof 
to  the  use  of  the  said  Mary  Philipse  and  Roger  Morris  and  the 
survivor  of  them  for  and  during  the  terra  of  their  natural  lives 
without  impeachment  of  waste  Remainder  to  the  use  of  such 
child  or  children  as  should  or  might  be  procreated  between 
them  and  to  his  her  or  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever.     But  in 
case  the  said  Roger  Morris  and  Mary  Philipse  should  have  no 
child  or  children  begotten  between  them  or  that  such  child  or 
children  should  happen  to  die  during  the  life  time  of  the  said 
Roger  and  Mary  and  the  said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  should 
survive  the  said  Roger  Morris  without  issue  then  to  the  use  of 
the  said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  her  heirs  and  assigns  for 
ever.     And  in  case  the  said  Roger  Morris  should  survive  the 
said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  without  any  issue  by  her  or  that 
such  issue  should  then  be  dead  without  leaving  issue  then  after 
the  decease  of  the  said  Roger  Morris  to  the  use  of  such  person 
or  persons  as  the  said  Mary  Morris  then  Philipse  should  by 
her  last  will  and  testament  appoint.     And  Whereas  by  Inden- 
ture bearing  date  on  or   about    the   fourteenth    day   of  April 


184  HISTORY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

in  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  one  duly 
acknowledged  before  one  of  his  Majesty's  Council  and  made  or 
expressed  to  be  made  between  the  said  Philip  Philipseand  Bev- 
erly Robinson  of  the  one  part  and  the  said  Roger  Morris  of  the 
other  part  after  reciting  the  said  herein  before  in  part  recited 
Indenture  of  the  seventh  day  of  February  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  four  and  also  reciting  that  by  Letters  Patent 
under  the  great  seal  of  the  Province  of  New  York  dated  the 
twenty  seventh  day  of  March  then  last  therein  reciting  that  the 
said  Philip  Philipse  Beverly  Robinson  and  Roger  Morris  by 
their  petition  to  the  Honorable  Cadwallader  Golden  President 
of  New  York  on  or  about  the  twenty  sixth  day  of  November 
then  last  past  did  set  forth  that  in  the  year  one  thousand  six 
hundred  and  eighty  three  a  line  of  division  was  established  be- 
tween the  said  Province  of  New  York  and  the  Colony  of  Con- 
necticut running  parallel  and  at  the  equal  distance  of  twenty 
Miles  in  all  its  parts  from  Hudsons  river  and  that  before 
the  actual  running  of  the  said  line  the  said  in  part  recited  Let- 
ters Patent  had  issued  to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  for  all  that 
tract  of  Land  in  Dutchess  County  hereinbefore  described  and 
that  since  the  establishment  of  the  said  line  and  grant  of  the 
said  Letters  Patent  certain  Commissioners  had  been  appointed 
by  the  then  respective  governments  of  New  York  and  Connec- 
ticut for  running  out  and  marking  the  said  line  who  finding  it 
impracticable  to  perform  the  same  exactly  agreeable  to  the  said 
Establishment  did  actually  run  and  mark  out  a  line  as  near  as 
could  be  parallel  to  the  main  course  of  Hudsons  River  which 
line  was  afterwards  confirmed  that  the  said  line  so  run  not  be- 
ing in  all  its  parts  the  equal  distance  of  twenty  miles  from  Hud- 
sons River  occasioned  by  the  variation  of  its  course  from  a 
straight  line  the  said  line  as  far  as  it  extended  along  the  rear  of 
the  said  Patent  did  in  some  parts  exceed  and  in  other  parts  fall 
short  of  that  distance  notwithstanding  which  the  said  Adolph 
Philipse  and  those  who  held  under  him  conceiving  that  the  said 
line  so  actually  run  ought  for  reasons  of  public  and  private 
utility  to  be  the  rear  line  of  the  said  Patent  had  always  claimed 
and  then  claimed  by  virtue  of  the  same  all  the  lands  included 
within  the  north  and  south  boundaries  of  the  said  Patent  as  far 
Eastward  from  Hudsons  River  as  the  said  line  of  division  actu- 
ally run  out  and  marked  as  aforesaid  although  some  disputes 
had  then  lately  arisen  concerning  the  eastern  bounds  of  the  said 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  185 

Patent  on  pretense  that  the  said  tract  thereby  granted  extended 
to  the  equal  distance  of  twenty  miles  from  Hudson's  river  in  a 
similar  line  to  the  windings  and  turnings  of  the  said,  river  ac- 
cording to  which  construction  a  considerable  tract  would  be  ex- 
cluded the  said  Patent:  But  even  admitting  that  there  was 
some  color  for  such  a  construction  of  the  Eastern  bounds  of  the 
said  patent  since  the  actual  running  and  marking  out  of  the 
said  line  as  would  restrict  the  said  petitioners  to  the  distance  of 
twenty  miles  east  of  the  said  river  in  every  part  of  their  rear 
line  which  they  conceived  was  not  as  yet  a  considerable  part  of 
the  line  granted  by  the  said  Letters  Patent  within  that  distance 
did  lie  to  the  eastward  of  the  then  present  line  of  division  and  was 
held  and  enjoyed  by  others  his  Majesty's  subjects  not  claiming 
tinder  his  said  Letters  Patent  upon  a  supposition  that  the  same 
were  not  included  in  the  said  patent  since  the  running  of  the 
then  present  line  of  the  division  the  petitioners  in  order  to  re- 
move all  doubts  and  controversies  were  willing  to  surrender  and 
release  all  their  right  and  title  to  the  same  to  his  Majesty  in 
trust  for  those  of  his  subjects  then  holding  the  same  on  condition 
the  petitioners  obtaining  ,a  grant  and  confirmation  of  all  the 
lands  that  might  be  between  the  distance  of  twenty  miles  from 
Hudson's  river  and  the  said  then  present  line  of  division  and 
th.e  north  and  south  bounds  of  the  said  Patent  extended  to 
the  said  line  which  would  not  only  quiet  the  said  inhabitants  in 
their  respective  possessions  but  also  prevent  any  further 
controversy  respecting  the  eastern  bounds  of  the  said 
Patent  and  that  as  the  X'^titioners  were  willing  to  pay 
the  usual  quit  rents  for  the  said  land  lying  between  the 
distance  of  twenty  miles  from  Hudsons  river  and  the 
then  Colony  line  and  the  north  and  south  bounds  of  the  said 
Patent  extended  to  the  said  line  they  humbly  conceived  them- 
selves equitably  entitled  to  such  grant  and  confirmation  in  pref- 
erence to  any  others  who  had  no  title  to  the  same  therefor  the 
petitioners  prayed  his  Majesty's  Letters  Patent  confirming  to 
them  the  said  tract  of  land  granted  to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse 
and  granting  and  confirming  to  them  all  other  lands  that  might 
lie  between  the  distance  of  twenty  miles  from  Hudson's  river 
and  the  said  division  line  and  the  north  and  south  bounds  of 
the  said  Patent  extended  to  the  said  line  his  Majesty  gave 
granted  ratified  and  confirmed  to  the  said  Philip  Philipse  Bev- 
erly Robinson  and  Roger  Morris  their  heirs  and  assigns  forever 


186  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

as  tenants  in  common  all  those  two  tracts  or  parcels  of  land  situ- 
ate lying  and  being  in  the  County  of  Dutchess  at  the  distance 
of  twentymiles  from  Hudson's  river  between  the  lands  formerly 
granted  to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  deceased  and  the  equiva- 
lent lands  surrendered  by  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  to  the 
Province  of  New  York  the  one  of  which  tracts  begin  at  a  monu- 
ment of  a  large  heap  of  stones  erected  in  the  west  bounds  of  the 
said  equivalent  lands  thirty  eight  links  north  twenty  five  de- 
grees west  from  a  large  rock  having  the  letters  H.  B.  P.  P.  and 
B.  R.  marked  thereon  which  said  monument  or  heap  of  stones 
was  erected  in  the  month  of  April  in  the  year  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  four  by  the  proprietors  of  the  lands 
formerly  granted  to  Colonel  Henry  Beekman  and  of  the  afore- 
said lands  formerly  granted  to  the  said  Adolph  Philipse  for  a 
corner  between  and  division  between  the  said  Patents  and  run- 
ning from  the  said  monument  or  heap  of  stones  along  the  south 
boundaries  of  the  said  Henry  Beekman' s  lands  west  ninety 
chains  then  south  fifteen  degrees  west  three  hundred  and  sixty 
chains  then  south  twenty  four  degrees  east  one  hundred  and 
sixty  chains  then  south  fourteen  degrees  east  fifty  nine  chains 
to  the  said  west  boundaries  of  the  said  equivalent  lands  then 
along  the  said  west  boundaries  five  hundred  and  sixty  chains 
to  the  place  where  the  said  tract  began,  containing  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  four  acres  and  the  usual  allowances  for 
highways  and  the  other  of  the  said  tracts  begins  at  a  stake  stand- 
ing in  the  north  boundaries  of  the  Manor  of  Cortlandt  and  on  the 
west  side  of  a  pond  of  water  called  Peach  Pond  and  runs  from 
the  said  stake  along  the  north  boundaries  of  the  said  Manor 
west  thirty  seven  chains  thence  north  forty  two  degrees  east 
one  hundred  and  thirty  six  chains  to  the  west  boundaries  of  the 
aforesaid  equivalent  lands  then  along  the  said  west  boundaries 
forty  eight  chains  to  the  aforesaid  Pond  and  then  along  the 
west  side  of  the  said  Pond  to  the  place  where  this  second  tract 
began  containing  four  hundred  and  twenty  one  acres  of  land 
and  the  usual  allowance  for  highways  the  said  two  tracts,  con- 
taining together  four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty  five 
acres  and  the  usual  allowance  for  highways  and  reciting  that  a 
part  of  the  lands  by  the  last  recited  Letters  Patent  granted  was 
included  within  the  bounds  and  limits  of  Lot  9  before  described: 
It  is  by  the  now  reciting  Indenture  of  the  fourteenth  day  of 
April  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  one  witnessed 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  187 

that  in  consideration  of  mutual  grants  and  releases  from  the 
said  Roger  Morris  to  the  said  Philip  Philipse  and  Beverly- 
Robinson  and  of  ten  shillings  the  said  Philip  Philipse  and  Bev- 
erly Robinson  did  grant  bargain  sell  alien  convey  release  and 
confirm  unto  the  said  Roger  Morris  his  heirs  and  assigns  all 
such  parts  of  the  said  lands  by  the  said  in  part  recited  Letters 
Patent  of  the  twenty  seventh  day  of  March  granted  as  are  in- 
cluded and  comprehended  within  the  boundaries  and  limits  of 
the  said  Lot  No  9  as  herein  and  therein  before  described  with 
the  appurtenances  except  all  mines  and  minerals  whatsoever. 
To  hold  the  same  unto  the  said  Roger  Morris  his  heirs  and  as- 
signs forever  and  Whereas  by  an  Act  of  the  third  session  of 
the  Legislature  of  New  York  passed  on  or  about  the  twenty 
second  day  of  October  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy 
nine  entitled  "  An  Act  for  the  forfeiture  and  sale  of  the 
estates  of  persons  who  have  adhered  to  the  enemies  of  this  State 
and  for  declaring  the  Sovereignty  of  the  People  of  this  State  in 
respect  to  all  property  within  the  same"  it  was  enacted  that 
sundry  persons  therein  named  and  among  others  the  said  Roger 
Morris  Beverly  Robinson  Susannah  the  wife  of  the  said  Beverly 
Robihson  and  Mary  the  wife  of  the  said  Roger  Morris  and  each 
of  them  should  be  and  they  were  thereby  severally  declared  to 
be  ipso  facto  convicted  and  attainted  of  adhering  to  the  enemies 
of  the  said  State  and  that  all  and  singular  the  estate  both  real 
and  personal  held  and  claimed  by  them  severally  and  respec- 
tively whether  in  possession  reversion  or  remainder  within  the 
State  of  New  York  on  the  day  of  passing  that  act  should  be 
and  thereby  was  declared  to  be  forfeited  to  and  vested  in  the 
People  of  the  State  and  Whereas  the  said  Roger  Morris  de- 
parted this  life  in  or  about  the  month  of  September  in  the  year 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety  four  leaving  the  said 
Mary  Morris  his  widow  him  surviving  and  which  said  Mary  Mor- 
ris his  widow  is  still  living  and  Whereas  there  were  five  children 
of  the  marriage  between  the  said  Roger  Morris  and  Mary  Morris 
that  is  to  say  the  said  Joanna  the  wife  of  the  said  Thomas  Cowper 
Hincks  Amherst  Morris  Margaret  Morris  and  the  said  Maria 
Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  And  Whereas  the  said  Margaret 
Morris  departed  this  life  in  or  about  the  year  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  sixty  six  an  infant  of  the  age  of  two  years 
or  thereabouts  and  whereas  the  said  Amherst  Morris  also  de- 
parted this  life  some  time  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hun- 


188  HISTORY   or   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

dred  and  two  intestate  and  a  batchelor  and  by  the  death  of  the 
said  Amherst  Morris  and  Margaret  Morris  as  aforesaid  the  said 
Joanna  Hincks  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  became 
and  are  now  entitled  to  the  said  lands  and  hereditaments  hereby 
released  or  intended  so  to  be  in  equal  shares  And  Whereas  the 
interests  of  the  said  Joanna  Hincks  Maria  Morris  and  Henry 
Gage  Morris  of  and  in  the  said  lands  and  heredits  are  preserved 
to  them  by  the  fifth  article  of  the  definitive  treaty  of  Peace 
between  Great  Britain  and: the  United  States  of  America  bear- 
ing  date  on  or  about  the  third  day  of  September  in  the  year  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty  three  by  which  it  was  de- 
clared that  all  persons  who  had  any  interest  in  Confiscated 
Lands  either  by  debts  marriage  settlements  or  otherwise  should 
meet  with  no  lawful  impediments  in  the  prosecution  of  their 
just  rights.      And  Whereas  all  the  lands  and  hereditaments 
mentioned  and  included  in  the  said  recited  Letters  Patent  were 
not  divided  between  the  said  Philip  Philipse  Mary  Morris  and 
Susannah  Robinson.     And  Whereas  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor 
hath  contracted  and  agreed  with  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks 
and  Joanna  Hincks  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage 
Morris  for  the  absolute  purchase  of  all  the  Estate  right  titl*  and 
interest  of  them  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna 
his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  of  in  to  or  out  of 
the   said  lands  or  hereditaments  hereinbefore   mentioned  and 
comprised  in  the  said  hereinbefore  in  part  recited  Indentures  of 
the  seventh  day  of  February  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  four  and   the   thirteenth  day  of  January  one   thousand 
•seven  hundred  and  fifty  eight   and  all  other  their  lands  and 
hereditaments  in  the  Dutchess  county  aforesaid  subject  to  the 
interest  of  the  said  State  of  New  York  or  their  Grantees  therein 
for  the  life  of  the  said  Mary  Morris  and  all  other  interests  or 
claims  conditions  or  consequences  to  which  the  same  or  any  part 
thereof  may  can  or  shall  be  legally  subject  by  reason  or  means 
of  the  said  hereinbefore  mentioned  act  of  the  Legislature  of 
I^ew  York  at  or  for  the  price  or  sum  of  twenty  thousand  j)Ounds 
Now  this  Indenture  Witnesseth  that  in  consideration  of  the  said 
sum  of  Twenty  Thousand  Pounds  of  lawful  money  current  in 
Great  Britain  to  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna 
his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  well  and  truly 
paid  by  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor  immediately  before  the  exe- 
cution of  these  presents  in  equal  shares  and  proportions  the 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  189 

receipt  of  which  said  sum  of  twenty  thousand  pounds 
they  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna  his 
wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  do  hereby 
respectively  acknowledge  and  thereof  and  of  and  from  the 
same  and  every  part  thereof  do  and  each  and  every  of  them 
doth  acquit  release  and  discharge  the  said  John  Jacob  As  tor 
his  heirs  executors  administrators  and  assigns  and  every  of 
them  for  ever  they  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks -and  Joanna 
his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  according  to  their 
several  and  respective  shares  estates  rights  and  interests  but 
not  further  or  otherwise  Have  each  and  every  of  them  hath 
granted  bargained  sold  aliened  released  and  confirmed  and  by 
these  presents  do  and  each  and  every  of  them  Doth  grant  bar- 
gain sell  alien  release  and  confirm  unto  the  said  John  Jacob 
Astor  his  heirs  and  assigns  in  the  actual  possession  of  said 
John  Jacob  Astor  now  being  by  virtue  of  a  bargain  and  sale 
thereof  made  to  him  by  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and 
Joanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  in  con- 
sideration of  five  shillings  paid  to  each  of  them  by  the  said 
John  Jacob  Astor  by  Indenture  bearing  date  the  day  next  be- 
fore the  day  of  the  date  of  these  presents  for  one  whole  year 
commencing  from  the  day  next  before  the  day  of  the  date  of 
the  same  Indenture  of  bargain  and  sale  and  by  force  of  the 
statute  made  for  transferring  uses  into  possession  all  and 
singular  the  lands  and  hereditaments  herein  before  particularly 
mentioned  and  described  and  by  the  said  herein  before  in  part 
recited  Indenture  of  the  seventh  day  of  February  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  four  allotted  to  the  said  Mary  Morris 
her  heirs  and  assigns  and  also  all  and  singular  other  the  Lands 
and  hereditaments  comprized  in  the  said  herein  before  in  part 
recited  Indenture  of  the  thirteenth  day  of  January  one  thous- 
and seven  hundred  and  fifty  eight  and  all  other  their  lands  and 
hereditaments  in  Dutchess  county  aforesaid  with  their  and 
every  of  their  rights  members  and  appurtenances  subject  Never- 
theless to  the  Estate  vested  in  the  said  government  of  New 
Y  ork  or  their  grantees  for  the  life  of  the  said  Mary  Morris  and 
all  other  interests  and  claims  conditions  or  consequences  to 
which  the  same  or  any  part  thereof  may  can  or  shall  be  legally 
subject  by  reason  or  means  of  the  said  act  of  the  Legislature  of 
New  York  as  aforesaid  and  all  houses  cottages  outhouses 
edifices  buildings  closes  of  land  meadow  and  pasture  woods 


190  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  underwoods  and  the  ground  and  soil  thereof  hedges  ditches 
fences  mounds  ways  paths  passages  waters  land  covered  with 
water  watercourses  liberties  privileges  easements  profits  com- 
modities advantages  emoluments  and  appurtenances  whatsoever 
to  the  said  land  and  hereditaments  released  or  intended  so  to 
be  or  any  of  them  respectively  belonging  or  in  anywise  apper- 
taining or  accepted  reputed  redeemed  taken  known  held  oc- 
cupied or  enjoyed  as  part  parcel  or  member  of  the  same  or  of 
any  of  them  respectively  and  the  reversion  and  reversions  re- 
mainder and  remainders  yearly  and  other  rents  issues  and  pro- 
fits thereof  and  of  every  part  thereof  and  all  the  Estate  right 
title  interest  use  trust  inheritance  term  and  terms  for  years  and 
for  life  or  lives  property  possession  benefit  and  equity  of  re- 
demption claim  and  demand  whatsoever  at  law  or  in  equity  of 
them  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and   Joanna  his  wife 
Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  and  each  and  every  of 
them  respectively  of  in  to  and  out  of  the  same  land  and  here- 
ditaments and  every  part  thereof  with  the  appurtenances  and 
all  deeds  papers  writings  and  muniments  of  title  whatsoever 
relating  to  or  in  any  wise  concerning  the  same  or  any  of  them 
as  are  now  in  the  custody  possession  or  power  of  the   said 
Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and 
Henry  Gage  Morris  or  any  or  either  of  them  and  they  or  any 
or  either  of  them  can  or  may  obtain  without  suit  at  Law  or  in 
Equity  To  have  and  to  hold  the  aforesaid  tract  of  Land  heredi- 
taments and  all  and  singular  other  the  premises  herein  before 
mentioned  and  described  and  hereby  released   or  otherwise 
assured  or  intended  so  to  be  and  every  part  and  parcel  of  the 
same  with  their  and  every  of  their  rights  members  and  ap- 
purtenances   subject   nevertheless    as   aforesaid  unto  the  said 
John  Jacob  Astor  his  heirs  and  assigns   To  the  only  proper 
use    Of    the    said    John    Jacob    Astor    his    heirs    and    as- 
signs   forever  and    to    and    for    no    other   use    trust    intent 
or  purpose  whatsoever  And  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks 
doth  hereby  for  himself  his  heirs  executors  and  administrators 
and  only  as  to  and  concerning  the  estate  and  interest  of  him  the 
said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  of  the  said  Joanna  Hincks  his 
wife  in  the  premises  and  his  and  her  acts  deeds  and  defaults 
only  And  the  said  Maria  Morris  doth  hereby  for  herself  her 
heirs  executors  and  administrators  and  only  as  to  and  concern- 
ing her  estate  and  interest  in  the  premises  and  the  acts  deeds 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  191 

and  defaults  relating  thereto  And  the  said  Henry  Gage  Morris 
doth  hereby  for  himself  his  heirs  executors  and  administrators 
and  only  as  to  and  concerning  the  estate  and  interest  of  him 
the  said  Henry  Gage  Morris  in  the  premises  and  his  acts  deeds 
and  defaults  relating  thereto  covenant  promise  and  agree  to  and 
with  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor  his  heirs  and  assigns  that  not- 
withstanding any  act  deed  matter  or  thing  whatsoever  made 
done  permitted  or  suffered  to  the  contrary  by  them  the  said 
Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna  his  wife  Mary  Morris  and 
Henry  Gage  Morris  or  any  or  either  of  them  they  the  said 
Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and 
Henry  Gage  Morris  now  have  in  themselves  good  right  full 
power  and  lawful  and  absolute  authority  by  these  Presents  to 
grant  release  and  confirm  the  said  land  and  hereditaments  here- 
by released  or  intended  so  to  be  and  every  part  and  parcel  of 
the  same  with  the  appurtenances  unto  and  to  the  use  of  the 
said  John  Jacob  Astor  his  heirs  and  assigns  for  ever  in  manner 
aforesaid  and  according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  these 
Presents  and  that  free  and  clear  and  freely  and  clearly  and  ab- 
solutely acquitted  exonerated  released  and  discharged  or  other- 
wise by  them  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna  his 
wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  their  heirs  executors 
or  administrators  at  their  some  or  one  of  their  costs  and  charges 
in  all  things  well  and  snfliciently  protected  defended  saved 
harmless  and  kept  indemnified  of  from  and  against  all  and  all 
manner  of  former  and  other  gifts  grants  feffments  mortgages 
leases  bargains  sales  Jointures  dower  right  and  title  of  dower 
trusts  Estates  titles  troubles  charges  leins  and  incumbrances 
whatsoever  at  any  time  or  times  heretofore  and  to  be  any  time 
and  from  time  hereafter  had  made  doqe  committed  occasioned 
permitted  or  suffered  by  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and 
Joanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  or  any  or 
either  of  them  or  any  person  or  persons  whomsoever  rightfully 
claiming  or  to  claim  by  from  through  under  or  in  trust  for  them 
or  any  or  either  of  them  or  by  his  their  or  any  or  either  of  their 
acts  means  consent  default  privity  or  procurement  (The  rents 
reserved  in  respect  of  the  said  premises  only  excepted)  and 
moreover  that  they  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Jo- 
anna his  wife  Mary  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris  and  their 
heirs  and  all  persons  whosoever  lawfully  or  equitably  and 
rightfully   claiming  or  to  claim  any  estate  right    title   trust 


192  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAJL   COUNTY. 

charge  or  interest  at  law  or  in  equity  of  into  or  out  of  or  upon 
the  said  land  and  hereditaments  by  from  under  or  in  trust  for 
them  (except  as  aforesaid)  shall  and  will  from  time  to  time  and 
at  all  times  hereafter  upon  every  reasonable  request  and  at  the 
costs  and  charges  in  all  things  of  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor 
his  heirs  or  assigns  make  do  acknowledge  levy  suffer  execute 
and  perfect  or  cause  or  procure  to  be  made  done  acknowledged 
levied  suffered  executed  and  perfected  all  such  further  and 
other  lawful  and  reasonable  acts  deeds  devices  conveyances  and 
assurances  in  the  law  whatsoever  for  the  further  better  more 
perfectly  absolutely  or  satisfactorily  granting  releasing  confirm- 
ing or  otherwise  assuring  the  said  land  and  hereditaments 
hereby  released  or  otherwise  assured  or  intended  so  to  be  and 
every  part  and  parcel  of  the  same  with  the  appurtenances 
(subject  as  aforesaid)  unto  and  to  the  use  of  the  said  John 
Jacob  Astor  his  heirs  and  assigns  for  ever  according  to  the 
true  intent  and  meaning  of  these  presents  as  by  the  said  John 
Jacob  Astor  his  heirs  or  assigns  or  his  or  their  counsel  learned 
in  the  law  and  resident  in  England  shall  be  reasonably  advised 
devised  or  required  and  be  tendered  to  be  made  done  and  exe- 
cuted so  as  for  the  making  or  doing  thereof  they  shall  not  re- 
spectively be  required  to  go  or  travel  from  their  respective 
usual  place  of  abode. 

"In  witness  whereof  the  said  parties  to  these  presents  have 
hereunto  set  their  hands  and  seals  the  day  and  year  first  above 
written. 

"Thomas  Cowper  Hincks.  (L.  S.) 
"Joanna  Hincks.  (L.  S.) 

"Maria  Morris.  (L.  S.) 

"Henry  Gage  Morris.         (L.  S.) 

"  Signed  sealed  and  delivered  by  the  within  named  Thomas 
Cowper  Hincks  and  Joanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry 
Grage  Morris  in  the  presence  of  us 

"M.  S.  Parnther, 

London  Street. 
"  Richard  Grose  Burfoot, 

Same  place." 

After  making  this  purchase,  Astor  sent  an  agent  to  notify  the 
settlers  of  these  lands  of  his  purchase  and  claims,  but  no  legal 
steps  were  taken  by  him  until  by  the  death  of  Mary  Morris,  in 


GENERAL   HISTORY,  193 

1825,  his  tifle  acquired  full  force  and  power,  and  a  suit  was  then 
begun  in  the  United  States  Court. 

The  deeds  which  had  been  given  by  the  commissioners  of  for- 
feitures were  by  law  construed  as  full  covenant  warranty  deeds, 
and  the  Stale  was  tlius.put  under  obligation  to  defend  the  suit 
which  might  be  brought  by  Astor  against  any  of  the  occupants 
of  the  lands,  for  ejectment.  Accordingly  an  act  was  passed 
April  16th,  1827,  "  To  extinguish  the  claim  of  John  Jacob  Astor 
and  others,  and  to  quiet  the  possession  of  certain  lands  in  the 
counties  of  Putnam  and  Dutchess."  By  the  provisions  of  this 
act  it  was  agreed  that  if  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  should 
decide  in  favor  of  Astor' s  claim,  that  then  the  State  should  pay 
in  extinguishment  of  the  title  the  sum  of  $250,000  and  if  the 
court  should  decide  that  Astor  was  entitled  to  the  lands  with 
all  the  improvements,  then  the  State  should  pay  the  sum  of 
1450,000,  and  the  act  to  be  in  force  in  case  Astor  and  his  asso- 
ciates should  accept  these  terms  in  a  formal  manner,  within  the 
term  of  six  months  after  its  passage,  and  as  a  test  of  the  claim, 
five  suits  in  ejectment  should  be  prosecuted  to  judgment  in  the 
Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  the  judgments  presented 
by  writs  of  error  to  the  Supreme  Court  for  final  determination, 
and  if  any  three  of  the  five  suits  should  be  decided  in  the  favor 
of  Astor  he  should  be  entitled  to  the  sum  named,  which  should 
be  paid  in  certificates  of  public  stock. 

These  terms  were  not  accepted  and  the  case  came  to  trial  in 
the  United  States  Circuit  Court,  in  New  York,  November  7th, 
1827.  Suits  were  begun  against  James  Carver,  who  was  in  pos- 
session of  a  farm  on  Lot  5,  which  was  sold  to  his  father,  Tim- 
othy Carver,  by  the  commissioners  of  forfeitures;  Samuel  Kelly, 
who  held  a  farm  on  Lot  9,  in  the  town  of  Southeast;  and  Na- 
thaniel Crane,  who  also  lived  on  Lot  5. 

The  case,  which  attracted  great  attention,  came  to  trial  No- 
vember 7th,  1827.  The  following  is  the  title  of  a  printed 
report  of  the  case,  copies  of  which  are  extremely  rare. 

''■Keport  of  the  Trial  before  Judges  Thompson  and  Betts  in 
the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  Dis- 
trict, of  New  York  in  the  case  of  James  Jackson  ex  dem. 
Theodosius  Fowler  and  others  vs  James  Carver  including  the 
claims  of  John  Jacob  Astor  to  lands  in  Putnam  County  with 
Arguments  of  Counsel  arid  the  charge  of  Judge  Thompson  by 

13 


194  HISTORY    OF   PCTTNAM   COUNTY. 

Edward  V.  Sparliawk  reported  to   the  N.  Y.  American   New 
York  1827." 
Of  this  report  we  present  the  following  brief  abstract: 

"  Circl^it  Court  of  the  U.  S.  for  the  Southern 
District  of  N.  Y. 

"James  Jackson  ex  dem.  Theodosius  Fowler  Tho.  Cowper 
Hincks  and  Joanna  his  wife  Mary  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris 
vs.  James  Carver. 

"Counsel  for  Plaintiff,  Messrs  Oakley,  Hoffman,  Emmett, 
Piatt,  and  Ogden.  For  Defendant  Messrs  Talcott  Attorney  Gen- 
eral, Webster,  Van  Buren,  Ogden  Hoffman  and  Cowls. 

"  The  defendant  confessed  lease,  entry  and  ouster.  Mr.  Oak- 
ley opened  the  case  for  Plaintiff. 

"  The  Patent  of  Adolph  Philipse  was  introduced  m  evidence, 
and  the  line  of  descent  of  the  children  of  Mary  Morris  was 
shown. 

"  Col.  Tho.  Barclay,  Witness,  testified  that  he  knew  the  fam- 
ily of  Roger  Morris.  His  children  were  Amherst,  Joanna, 
Henry  Gage,  and  Maria,  who  were  all  born  before  1774.  Joanna 
was  10  years  old  in  1774.  Amherst  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Royal  Navy  at  the  time  of  the  peace  in  1783.     Henry  Gage  was 

6  or  7  years  old  before  the  war.     In  1783,  he  was  13  or  14  years 
old. 

"Henry  Livingston  witness,  was  called  to  produce  map  and 
show  location  of  premises.  It  was  admitted  that  James  Carver 
was  in  possession  of  farm  in  Lot  No.  5. 

"  The  Attorney  General  opened  for  the  defence,  and  read  the 
bill  of  Attainder  against  Roger  Morris  and  his  wife. 

"  Daniel  Cole,  Witness,  testifies  that  he  is  79  years  old  and 
that  he  and  his  father  before  him,  were  tenants  on  Lot  No.  5 
and  held  under  Roger  Morris. 

"Beverly  Robinson  testifies  that  his  grandfather,  Beverly 
Robinson,  died  about  1795,  that  Timothy  Carver  was  the  father 
of  James  Carver  the  defendant.  He  purchased  the  farm'  of  one 
Cheeseman,  who  had  it  from  one  Serrin. 

"Barnabas  Carver  testifies  that  he  is  uncle  to  the  defendant 
James  Carver,  and  that  Timothy  Carver  was  his  brother. 

"Daniel  Cole  testifies  that  Timothy  Carver  bought  the  im- 
provement of  the  farm  of  one  Cheeseman  during  the  war,  and 
that  he  built  a  log  house  there  at   the  close  of  the  war  and 

'  That  is  purchased  the  improvement  of  the  farm  from  the  former  lessee. 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  195 

cleaved  up  more  land,  and  he  died  three  years  ago.  The  ten- 
ants used  to  buy  and  sell  among  themselves  before  the  war  the 
improvements  on  the  farms  they  held  as  tenants.  Wm.  Hill, 
James  Rhodes  and  Hackaliah  Merrit's  father'  bought  land  from 
Morris  before  the  war. 

"  Enoch  Crosby  testifies  that  he  has  lived  on  the  Patent  70 
years.  In  1782,  he  went  to  live  on  Lot  9,  and  there  were  about 
150  families  on  Lots  5  and  9  before  the  war  as  tenants  of  Roger 
Morris. 

"Isaac  Hill  testifies  that  he  is  69,  and  has  lived  all  his  life 
on  Lot  9.     His  brother  Solomon  died  12  years  ago. 

"Nicholas  Agor  says  he  is 58,  and  has  lived  on  Lot  5  all  his 
life  his  father  lived  there  70  years  ago. 

"Joseph  Cole  says  he  is  52  and  lives  on  Lot  5  his  father 
lived  there  before  him  and  he  bought  the  farm  of  his  father  in 
1802  or  1803. 

"  Wm.  Hill  says  that  he  lives  on  Lot  5  and  about  20  years 
ago  he  sold  a  farm  there.  He  bought  of  his  father  30  years  ago. 
He  produced  a  deed  from  Roger  Morris  to  Wm.  Hill  dated  1771, 
and  says  his  sisters  Betsy  and  Deborah  live  on  the  farm. 

"  Ebenezer  Boyd  says  that  he  lives  in  Kent  on  Lot  5. 

"Noah  Hill  says  that  he  is  74,  and  never  heard  of  Astor's 
claims  till  he  sent  an  agent  to  notify  settlers  of  his  claims,  15 
years  ago. 

"Judah  Kelly  says  he  lived  on  Lot  6,  46 'years  and  never 
heard  of  Astor's  claims. 

"  Tho.  Lownsbury  says  he  is  54,  and  has  a  farm  on  Lot  5. 

"Benjamin  Cole  says  he  is  58,  and  owns  a  farm  on  Lot  5, 
which  he  had  from  his  father,  who  had  it  from  his  father  Elisha 
Cole.     Says  he  has  two  brothers  Levi  and  Joseph. 

"Col.  Tho.  Barclay  says  that  he  knew  Beverly  Robinson, 
and  that  he  lived  in  New  York  till  1764  or  5,  and  that  he  then 
went  to  the  Highlands  and  lived  there  till  1779  and  afterwards 
went  to  England.  Roger  Morris  also  had  a  cottage  on  his  lands 
where  he  often  went  to  look  after  his  rents.  He  resided  in 
New  York  and  went  to  England  in  1782. 

"  Hon.  Egbert  Benson,  says  that  when  returning  from  Con- 
gress in  1784  he  stopped  at  the  house  of  Gov.  Wm.  Livingston 
at  Elizabethtown,  and  that  he  was  shown  by  him  the  marriage 
settlement  and  deeds.     He  also  says  that  he  was  a  member  of 

'  Joseph  Men-itt. 


196  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

the  Legislature  and  drew  the  bill  of  Attainder  and  at  that  time 
he  had  never  heard  of  the  marriage  settlement. 

"  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman  was  called  to  testify  as  to  the  hand- 
writing of  Grov.  Livingston. 

"  Egbert  Benson  and  Henry  Livingston  were  called  as  wit- 
nesses to  prove  that  it  was  not  customary  to  record  leases,  in 
cases  of  sale  by  lease  and  release." 

On  Saturday,  November  10th,  Mr.  Van  Buren  began  sum- 
ming up  for  the  defense  and  was  followed  by  Mr.  Webster.. 
Mr.  Ogden  began  summing  up  for  the  plaintiff  and  was  followed 
by  Mr.  Emmett  on  Monday  morning. 

The  charge  was  given  to  the  jury  by  Judge  Thompson,  and 
the  jury,  after  retiring  for  deliberation,  returned  a  verdict  for 
the  plaintiff. 

From  this  decision  an  appeal  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.  The  case  was  duly  considered  by  the 
venerable  Chief  Justice  John  Marshall,  and  his  associate  jus- 
tices, and  the  judgment  sustained.  As  to  the  question  whether 
the  plaintiff  should  be  requested  to  pay  for  the  improvements 
made  upon  the  lands,  the  court  decided  in  the  negative,  stating 
"  that  the  principle  that  a  person  should  be  required  to  pay 
for  improvements  made  upon  his  land  without  his  consent,  is 
one  that  this  Court  is  not  prepared  to  admit." 

While  these  cases  were  pending  an  act  was  passed  "  to  revive 
and  amend  the  Act  to  extinguish  the  claim  of  John  Jacob  Astor, 
and  to  quiet  the  possession  of  certain  lands  in  Putnam  and 
Dutchess  Counties."  This  act,  which  was  passed  April  19th, 
1828,  revived  the  act  of  1827,  and  allowed  thirty  days  for  the 
acceptance  of  the  terms  proposed  in  that  act.  It  also  made  it 
the  duty  of  the  attorney  general  to  obtain  the  decision  of  the 
Supreme  Court  as  to  whether  the  improvements  on  the  lands 
were  to  be  paid  for,  and  provided  that  Astor  and  his  associates 
should  not  be  entitled  to  a  verdict  unless  it  could  be  shown 
that  all  the  right  and  title  of  Mary  Morris  and  her  children  was 
duly  vested  in  Astor  and  the  other  claimants.  The  provisions 
of  this  act  were  accepted  and  an  instrument  for  that  purpose 
was  duly  executed,  and  in  1828  all  the  right,  title  and  interest 

'  Great  stress  was  laid  by  the  lawyers  for  the  defense  upon  the  fact,  that 
although  a  lease  for  one  whole  year  is  mentioned  in  the  trust  deed  of  the  mar- 
riage settlement  of  Mary  Morris,  yet  it  was  not  recorded,  nor  could  the  original 
be  found. 


GENERAL  HISTOKY.  197 

of  Astor  and  his  associates  in  the  lands  in  question  were  duly 
transferred  to  the  State  by  the  following  deed: 

"This  Indenture,  made  the  first  day  of  May  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight  between 
John  Jacob  Astor,  of  Hoboken  in  the  County  of  Bergen  and 
State  of  New  Jersey,  Esquire,  and  Sarah  his  wife  of  the  first 
part,  Theodosius  Fowler  of  Perth  Amboy  in  the  State  of  New 
Jersey  Esquire  and  Maria  his  wife  of  the  second  part,  Cad- 
wallader  D.  Golden,  of  the  City  of  New  York  Esquire,  and 
Maria  his  wife  of  the  third  part,  Cornelius  I.  Bogert  of  the  town 
of  Jamaica  in  the  county  of  Queens,  and  State  of  New  York, 
Esquire,  and  Susannah  his  wife  of  the  fourth  part,  and  the 
People  of  the  State  of  New  York  of  the  fifth  part." 

The  deed,  which  is  of  great  length,  goes  on  to  recite  the  facts 
that  Mary  Philipse  was  the  original  owner  of  the  lands;  that 
a  deed  of  marriage  settlement  was  made  in  1758,  which  is  given 
in  full;  that  the  marriage  with  Roger  Morris  was  solemnized, 
and  describing  the  various  lots  of  land,  showed  their  descent 
to  the  children  of  Mary  Morris  and  their  sale  to  John  Jacob 
Astor,  and  mentioned  the  death  of  Roger  Morris  in  1795,  and  of 
his  wife  July  18th,  1825,  and  then  proceeds  as  follows: 

"And  Whereas,  by  sundry  mesne  conveyances,  the  said 
Theodosius  Fowler  party  hereto  of  the  second  part  hath  become 
and  is  now  lawfully  seized  in  and  entitled  in  fee  simple  to  two 
equal  undivided  fifth  parts  of  one  equal  undivided  eighth  part 
of  all  the  said  lands  tenements  and  hereditaments,  with  the  ap- 
purtenances so  as  aforesaid  granted  and  conveyed  by  the  said 
Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Johanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and 
Henry  Gage  Morris  to  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor,  And  Where- 
as, the  said  Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  party  hereto  of  the  third 
part,  by  sundry  mesne  conveyances,  hath  become  and 
now  is  lawfully  seized  in  and  entitled  in  fee  simple 
to  one  equal  undivided  half  of  one  fifth  of  one  eighth 
part  of  all  the  said  lands  tenements  and  heredita- 
ments with  the  appurtenances  so  as  aforesaid  gi-anted 
and  conveyed  by  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and 
Johanna  his  wife  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Gage  Morris,  to  the 
said  John  Jacob  Astor,  And  Whereas  the  said  Cornelius  I. 
Bogert,  party  hereto  of  the  fourth  part  by  sundry  mesne  con- 
veyances, hath  become  and  now  is  lawfully  seized  in  and  en- 
titled in  fee  simple  to  one  equal  undivided  half  of  one  fifth  of 


198  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

one  eighth  of  all  the  said  lands,  tenements  and  hereditaments 
with  the  appurtenances  so  as  aforesaid  granted  and  conveyed 
by  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and  Johanna  his  wife,  Maria 
Morris  and  Henry  G-age  Morris,  to  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor, 
And  Whereas,  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor,  now  holds  and  retains 
in  fee  simple  three  equal  undivided  quarter  parts  and  one  equal 
undivided  eighth  part  and  two  equal  undivided  fifth  parts  of 
one  eighth  of  the  whole  of  the  said  lands,  tenements,  and 
hereditaments,  with  the  appurtenances  so  as  aforesaid  granted 
and  conveyed  to  him  by  the  said  Thomas  Cowper  Hincks  and 
Johanna  his  wife,  Maria  Morris  and  Henry  Grage  Morris.  Now 
this  Indenture  Witnesseth,  that  the  said  parties  of  the  first, 
second,  third  and  fourth  parts  respectively  for  and  in  consid- 
eration of  ten  dollars  to  them  in  hand  paid,  the  receipt  whereof 
is  hereby  acknowledged,  and  in  compliance  with  the  terms  and 
provisions  of  the  Act  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New 
York  passed  the  sixteenth  day  of  April,  in  the  year  one  thous- 
and eight  hundred  and  twenty-seven  entitled  "  An  Act  to  ex- 
tinguish the  claim  of  John  Jacob  Astor  and  others,  and  to  quiet 
the  possession  of  certain  lands  in  the  counties  of  Putnam  and 
Dutchess  "  and  the  act  of  the  said  Legislature  passed  the  nine- 
teenth day  of  April  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  entitled  "An  Act  to  revive  and  amend  an  act 
entitled  '  an  act  to  extinguish  the  claim  of  John  Jacob  Astor 
and  others,  and  to  quiet  the  possession  of  certain  lands  in  the 
counties  of  Putnam  and  Dutchess'  passed  April  16th,  1827." 
Have  Granted,  bargained,  sold,  aliened,  released  and  conveyed 
and  by  these  presents  do  grant,  bargain,  sell,  alien,  release  and 
convey  unto  the  people  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  their  suc- 
cessors and  assigns  forever,  all  those  certain  lands  in  the  counties 
of  Putnam  and  Dutchess,  heretofore  sold  by  the  people  of  this 
State  as  forfeited  by  the  attainder  of  Roger  Morris  and  Mary 
his  wife  and  which  lands  are  more  particularly  described  in  a 
conveyance  of  marriage  settlement  made  the  fourteenth  day  of 
January,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-eight,  by  and 
between  Mary  Philipse  of  the  first  part  Major  Roger  Morris  of 
the  second  part  and  Johanna  Philipse  and  Beverly  Robinson  of 
the  third  part,  and  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
this  State,  on  the  eleventh  day  of  April,  seventeen  hundred  and 
eighty  seven  being  the  same  instrument  or  deed  of  marriage 
settlement  which  is  herein  set  forth  and  recited,  as  by  reference 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  199 

to  the  boundaries  and  description  of  said  lands  in  said  deed  of 
marriage  settlement,  will  fully  and  at  large  appear.  Together 
with  all  and  singular,  the  houses,  buildings,  improvements, 
hereditaments  and  appurtenances  thereto  belonging  or  in  any 
wise  appertaining  and  also  all  the  right,  title,  interest,  estate, 
property,  dower  right  or  title  of  dower,  claim  and  demand  in 
Law  of  Equity  of  them  the  said  parties  of  the  first,  second, 
third  and  fourth  parts,  or  any  or  either  of  them  of  in  or  to  the 
said  lands  or  premises  or  any  part  thereof,  with  the  appurte- 
nances, and  the  reversion  and  reversions,  remainder  and 
remainders,  rents,  issues  and  profits  thereof,  and  of  every  part 
and  parcel  thereof  And  Also  all  the  right  title,  interest,  claim 
and  demand  in  Law  of  Equity,  which  now  is  or  heretofore  has 
been  of  the  heirs  children  and  issue  of  the  said  Roger  Morris 
and  his  wife  Mary,  of  in  and  to  the  land,  tenements  and  prem- 
ises aforesaid  subject  nevertheless,  to  the  power  in  the  said  deed 
of  marriage  settlement  contained  and  reserved,  whereby  the  said 
Roger  Morris  and  Mary  his  wife,  were  authorized  to  sell  and 
convey  in  fee  simple  any  part  of  said  lands,  not  exceeding 
in  all  the  value  of  three  thousand  pounds,  and  excepting 
and  reserving  in  this  conveyance,  the  lands  which  were  lawfully 
sold  and  conveyed  by  the  said  Roger  Morris  and  Mary  his  wife, 
under  and  by  virtue  of  said  power,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  said 
lands,  tenements,  hereditaments  and  premises  hereby  granted, 
with  the  appurtenances,  unto  the  people  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  their  successors  and  assigns,  to  the  only  proper  use, 
benefit  and  behoof  of  the  people  of  the  state  of  New  York,  and 
their  successors  and  assigns  forever:  And  the  said  John  Jacob 
Astor,  as  party  hereto  of  the  first  part,  the  said  Theodosius 
Fowler,  as  party  hereto  of  the  second  part,  the  said  Cadwalla- 
der  D.  Golden,  as  party  hereto  of  the  Ihird  part,  and  the  said 
Cornelius  I.  Bogert,  as  party  hereto  of  the  fourth  part,  do 
severally  and  for  their  respective  heirs,  executors  and  adminis- 
trators, hereby  covenant  to  and  with  the  people  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  their  successors  and  assigns,  that  the  above 
bargained  premises,  with  the  appurtenances  in  the  quiet  and 
peaceable  possession  and  enjoyment  of  the  people  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  their  successors  and  assigns  against  all 
and  every  person  or  persons,  lawfully  claiming  or  to  claim,  by, 
through,  or  under  them  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor,  Theodosius 
Fowler,  Cadwallader  D.  Colden  and  Cornelius  I.  Bogert,  or  any 


200  HISTOEY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

or  either  of  them,  they  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor,  Theodosius 
Fowler,  Cadwallader  D.  Golden,  and  Cornelius  I.  Bogert  and 
their  respective  heirs,  executors  and  administrators  shall  and 
will  warrant  and  forever  defend,  and  the  said  John  Jacob 
Astor,  as  party  hereto  of  the  first  part,  the  said  Theodosius 
Fowler,  as  party  hereto  of  the  second  part,  the  said  Cadwalla- 
der D.  Colden,  as  party  hereto  of  the  third  part,  and  the  said 
Cornelius  I.  Bogert,  as  party  hereto  of  the  fourth  part,  do  sev- 
erally and  for  their  respective  heirs  and  administrators,  hereby 
covenant  to  and  with  the  people  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
their  successors  and  assigns  that  they,  the  said  John  Jacob 
Astor,  Theodosius  Fowler,  Cadwallader  D.  Colden  and  Cor- 
nelius I.  Bogert,  and  their  respective  heirs,  executors  and  ad- 
ministrators, shall  and  will  forever  warrant  and  defend,  the 
people  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  all  and  every  person  or 
persons  who  has  or  have  derived,  or  who  shall  derive  title  from 
the  people  of  this  State,  against  any  claim  at  Law  or  in  equity 
of  the  heirs  children  and  issue  of  Roger  Morris  and  Mary  his 
wife,  and  of  every  person,  claiming  or  to  claim  under  them  or 
either  of  them  of  in  or  to  the  said  premises,  lands  and  tene- 
ments or  any  part  thereof  The  covenants  herein  contained  are 
to  be  deemed  and  construed  as  several  and  not  joint,  that  is  to 
say:  each  of  the  said  John  Jacob  Astor,  Theodosius  Fowler, 
Cadwallader  D.  Colden  and  Cornelius  I.  Bogert,  covenants  for 
and  in  relation  to  his  own  share  or  proportion  of  said  lands 
and  premises  and  not  for  the  other  or  others  of   them. 

"  In  Witness  Whereof  the  said  parties  of  the  first  part,  of 
the  second  part,  of  the  third  part  and  of  the  fourth  part  have 
hereto  set  their  hands  and  seals,  the  day  and  year  first  above 
written. 

"John  Jacob  Astor.  (L.  S.) 

"Sarah  Astor.  (L.  S.) 

"Theod.  Fowler.  (L.  S.) 

"Maria  Fowler.  (L.  S.) 

"  Cadwallader  D. Cold  EN.  (L.  S.) 
"  Maria  Colden.  (L.  S.) 

"Cornelius  I.  Bogert.        (L.  S.) 
"Susan  Bogert.  (L.  S.)" 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  suits,  an  act  was  passed,  April  5th, 
1832,  "Authorizing  and  directing  the  final  settlement  of  ihe 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  201 

claims  of  John  Jacob  Astor  against  this  State;  "  and  according 
to  its  provisions,  stock  certificates,  to  the  amount  of  $450,000, 
with  interest,  were  issued  and  paid  to  Astor,  who  thereupon 
executed  proper  discharges  to  the  people  of  the  State,  and  to 
the  defendants,  James  Carver,  Samuel  Kelly  and  Nathaniel 
Crane,  in  satisfaction  of  judgment,  and  the  case  that  had 
troubled  Putnam  county  and  the  State  so  long,  came  to  a  final 
end. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PUTNAM  COUNTY  DURING  THE  CIVIL  WAR. 


REVISED  BY  GEN.  WILLIAM  H.  MOEEIS. 


THE  files  of  the  local  newspapers  give  the  true  history  of 
the  times,  and  present  a  fair  picture  of  passing  events. 

January  19th,  1861.  "Col.  Ryder,  of  Peekskill  has  notified 
his  companies  of  militia  to  prepare  for  active  service  and  to 
secure  the  requisite  supply  of  ammunition." 

Meetings  of  citizens  in  various  villages  of  the  county  were 
reported.  A  flag  raising  on  the  farm  of  S.  K.  Ferris.  A  public 
meeting  at  Red  Mills,  at  which  Leonard  Clift  was  chairman, 
was  held  April  26th. 

"Military  matters  in  Putnam  Co. :  Head  Quarters  of  the 
Engineer  Co.,  18th  Regt.,  Cold  Spring,  April  22d.  The  follow- 
ing volunteers  have  joined  the  Engineer  Corps  since  orders  were 
issued  by  Col.  James  Ryder,  and  recruited  by  Capt.  Sylvester  B. 
TruesdeD,  at  Cold  Spring  :  Albert  N.  Baxter,  Lewis  N.  Squires, 
Isaac  Ferris,  Robinson  Hopper,  W.  H.  Warren,  Nelson  Devoe, 
Benj.  Van  Tassel,  Perry  Ferris,  James  Caldwell,  O.  Smith, 
Charles  Purdy,Wm.  B.  Bloomer,  Wm.  H.  Odell,  Michael  Speed- 
ling,  Orin  B.  Nelson,  Daniel  Hopper,  George  Hopper,  Albert 
Wright,  Henry  Brewer,  Charles  E.  Turner,  Henry  Dore, 
Chauncey  Garrison,  Charles  Barton,  Edward  Sweeney,  Charles 
Rogers,  Isaac  Van  Tassel." 

"April  22d.  The  old  members  of  the  Corps  number  about  20 
besides  the  Captain.  We  hear  that  the  members  of  the  Corps  at 
Carmel  are  astir  and  have  enrolled  20  volunteers,  who  will  be 
ready  at  the  call  of  the  Colonel." 

"  May  11th.  Carmel  Volunteers.  On  last  Monday  five  men 
left  this  village  for  New  York  to  join  the  2nd  Regt.,  Scott's 
Life  Guards,  commanded  by  Col.  J.  H.  Hobart  Ward.     Their 


GEKEEAL   HISTORY.  203 

names  are  Willis  Norris,  Joseph  Robinson,  Isaac  Lockwood, 
Francis  Gregory  and  Crane  Hopkins.  Wm.  Bailey,  youngest 
son  of  Hon.  B.  Bailey,  had  previously  Joined.  Joseph  Shaw 
and  John  Cox  had  previously  enlisted,  the  latter  in  a  Brooklyn 
Regiment." 

"Aug.  3rd,  brings  the  sad  news  o:f  Philo  E.  Lewis,  of  Patter- 
son, reported  killed  at  Bull  Run.  Samuel  Hart  of  Kent  missing. 
Wm.  F.  Bailey  and  Jeremiah  W.  Hazen  were  sick  in  hospital 
at  Alexandria,  also  Joseph  Shaw." 

Liberal  minded  and  patriotic  ladies  had  forwarded  various 
needful  articles,  which  reached  the  camp  of  the  38  th  Regiment 
at  Camp  Scott,  near  Shuters  Hill,  July,  1861. 

"Aug.  17th.  Samuel  E.  Hart  reported  a  prisoner  at  Rich- 
mond. Capt.  Jeremiah  Sherwood,  of  Garrisons,  who  is  attached 
to  Col.  Serrels  Regt.  visited  Cold  Spring  and  Brewster  for  the 
purpose  of  recruiting  his  Company.  Ex  judge  Parrott,  of 
West  Point  Foundry  Mill  will  furnish  a  battery  of  six  rifled 
cannon,  which  is  to  accompany  the  Regiment.  Capt.  Sherwood 
has  served  in  the  artillery  and  infantry  and  was  for  three  years 
in  the  regular  army,  and  was  stationed  in  California  during  the 
Mexican  War." 

"  Aug.  23d.  Grand  Union  Meeting  held  at  Brewster  for  the 
purpose  of  considering  what  measures  were  best  for  the  citizens 
of  this  town  to  best  support  the  Constitution  and  the. Laws, 
and  maintain  the  Government.  150  persons  present,  Edward 
Howes  Esq.,  Chairman;  Tho.  H.  Reed,  Secretary;  Patriotic 
speeches  made  by  A.  B.  Marvin  Esq.;  Edward  Howes  Esq.,  and 
others.  All  party  lines  were  obliterated,  the  grand  inspiring 
idea  being  the  Union,  the  whole  Union,  and  nothing  but  the 
Union.  A  committee,  consisting  of  F.  E.  Foster,  Wm.  T.  Ga  Nun 
and  Tho.  H.  Reed,  were  appointed  to  draw  up  a  Constitution. 
Wm.  T.  Ga  Nun,  Piatt  Brush  and  Smith  G.  Hunt,  were  ap- 
pointed Town  Central  Committee,  whose  business  it  should  be 
to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Union  cause  in  our  midst,  and 
do  what  they  could  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  all  in  the  cause 
of  our  Country  and  the  suppression  of  Rebellion.  A  commit- 
tee of  A.  B.  Marvin,  Col.  James  Ryder  and  George  Hine  were 
appointed  to  report  in  relation  to  the  organization  of  a  military 
Co.  in  our  town  to  be  called  the  Home  Guards.  The  subject  of 
raising  a  fund  for  the  support  of  the  families  of  volunteers,  was 
favorably  discussed  and  Jarvis  Pugsley  who  that  day  enlisted 


204  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

was  assui-ed  that  his  family  should  be  well  cared  for  during  his 
absence.     *    *    *    * 

Sept.  7th  the  following  advertisement  appeared: 


"  This  Company  is  about  being  organized  for  the  war,  under 
the  command  of  Capt.  John  Hazen,  late  of  the  71st  Regt.  N.  Y. 
State  Militia;  to  be  composed  entirely  of  men  from  Putnam 
County.  Those  wishing  to  enlist  can  do  so  by  giving  their 
names  to  the  Captain  at  Brewster's  Station,  "N".  Y." 

An  advertisement  also  appeared  announcing  that  Colonel  Ser- 
rel's  Regiment  of  engineers  and  artisans  had  been  accepted,  and 
that  100  able  men  were  wanted  at  the  recruiting  office  at  Gar- 
risons. 

Sept.  7th.  "County  Mass  Meeting,  at  Carmel,  Hon.  John 
Garrison,  Chairman;  John  Hopkins,  David  Kent,  James  Cole, 
Samuel  Kent,  Edward  Howes,  Leonard  D.  Cliff,  Vice  Presidents; 
Tho.  H.  Reed  and  Joseph  Strang,  Secretaries.  Judge  Garrison 
on  taking  the  chair,  thanked  the  convention,  for  the  honor,  and 
said  '  I  have  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  for  forty  years,  and 
last  fall  I  voted  for  John  C.  Breckenridge,  but  I  thank  God  that 
I  lost  my  vote,  and  am  prond  to  stand  here  with  my  fellow  citi- 
zens of  all  parties,  to  ground  our  party  weapons,  and  join  in 
battling  for  the  welfare  of  our  common  country.'  Tho.  H.  Reed, 
Edward  Howes,  Samuel  Kent,  Isaac  Lounsbury,  John  Cole, 
George  Ludington,  Henry  W.  Belcher,  Samuel  A.  Townsend 
and  A.  S.  Van  Duzer  were  appointed  delegates  to  attend  the 
People's  Union  State  Convention,  at  Syracuse. 

"  Resolved  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  patriotic  citizen,  to 
favor  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Union;  ignoring  all  political  parties  and  party  creeds,  as 
embarrassing  and  dangerous  until  after  the  war  is  over." 

"  Patriotic  resolutions  were  passed  at  the  Republican  County 
Convention." 

"  Wm.  P.  Bailey,  Brigade  Clerk,  8th  Brigade,  returns  thanks 
to  the  ladies  for  the  liberal  donation  of  a  uniform,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  transfer  from  Co.  D.,  38th  Regt.,  to  a  position  of 
trust  in  the  8th  Brigade." 

"Sept.  21st.  We  learn  that  recruiting  officers  in  this  County 
are  meeting  with  flattering  success.  Quarter  Master  Sears  has 
quite  a  number  enlisted.      Capt.  Hazen  is  daily  adding  to  his 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  205 

list  and  Mr.  A.  W.  Mattice,  who  only  exhibited  his  authority 
to  recruit  men,  on  the  7th,  has  from  that  day  to  the  18th,  re- 
cruited 11  men.     He  is  enlisting  for  Col.  Dunham's  Eegiment." 

A.  W.  Mattice  announces  that  "an  exclusive  Putnam  Co. 
Company  is  now  being  recruited  at  Carmel,  and  that  the  Com- 
panj''  has  the  privilege  of  selecting  their  own  officers." 

"  Sept.  28th,  A.  W.  Mattice  has  enlisted  23  men,  for  a  Com- 
pany to  be  called  Putnam  Rifles." 

"  Grand  Mass  Meeting  at  Putnam  Valley,  held  at  Lake  Os- 
cawana  House.  Wm.  C.  Lickley,  Pres.  The  meeting  was  ad- 
dressed by  Hon.  Benj.  Bailey." 

"Oct.  oth,  Capt.  Mattice  has  met  with  unequalled  success. 
He  had  the  names  of  26  men  registered  on  the  Company  Roll  on 
last  Tuesday  night.  George  H.  Lewis,  Daniel  F.  Ferguson, 
Harvey  H.  Smalley,  Henry  B.  Wixon,  Joseph  Sprague,  Samuel 
Berry,  Henry  Wilson,  Ira  Conklin,  Ozis  Head,  John  Head, 
Hamilton  Stewart,  John  M.  Conklin,  Francis  Martin,  John  W. 
Gregory,  Daniel  Benjamin,  Daniel  D.  Miller,  Charles  Tilford, 
Samuel  Dexter,  George  Ganung,  W.  S.  Horton,  Daniel  Miller, 
Sylvester  Tompkins,  James  Tiiford,  David  Hopkins,  J.  J.  Light, 
Wm.  J.  Collins  (drummer)." 

"Oct.  12th.  Capt.  A.  W.  Mattice  took  six  more  men  to  New 
York  on  the  9th.  David  Hopkins,  John  W.  Gregory,  Tho. 
Reordan,  Cornelius  Peirce,  Reuben  Sutton,  Henry  Wilkins." 

"  Oct.  19th.  The  Putnam  Rifles  recruited  by  Capt.  Mattice  of 
this  village  now  number  32  men,  and  have  been  accepted  and 
mustered  into  the  U.  S.  service,  and  designated  as  Co.  K.  of  the 
Cameron  Legion  Regt.,  commanded  by  Col.  Charles  A.  Dunham. 
At  a  Company  election,  A.  W.  Mattice  was  chosen  Capt. ;  Cor- 
nelius H.  Peirce,  of  Lake  Mahopac,  1st  Lieut.  When  the 
Captain  left  the  camp  at  Saltersville,  N.  J.,  Harvey  Wilson  of 
Carmel  was  drilling  the  Company,  as  Orderly  Seargent." 

About  this  time  a  Ladies'  Relief  Association  was  organized,  of 
which  Mrs.  Selah  Van  Duzer  was  president;  Mrs.  James  A. 
Watts,  secretary;  and  Mrs.  Foster  Kelly,  treasurer.  The  asso- 
ciation forwarded  large  quantities  of  necessary  and  useful 
articles  to  the  soldiers  and  contributed  greatly  to  their  com- 
fon. 

"  Nov.  30th,  Wm.  F.  Bailey,  of  Carmel,  who  held  the  Clerk- 
ship in  the  8th  Brigade  returned  home  on  Saturday  last,  and  is 
authorized  to  raise  a  Company,  of  which  he  is  to  be  Captain, 


206  HISTORY   Oy   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

for  the  3d  Regl.  Capt.  Bailey  will  recruit  his  Company  in  this 
and  adjacent  counties,  and  as  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  enlist  and 
has  been  in  active,  dangerous  service,  we  wish  him  every  suc- 
cess. His  Company  has  been  named  the  Weeks  Guard,  in 
honor  of  Hon.  Chauncey  R.  Weeks,  who  has  furnished  much 
substantial  aid." 

"Dec.  2d.  A.  W.  Mattice,  Lieut,  of  Co.  I.,  59th  Regt., 
whose  Company  is  now  at  Washington,  is  at  home  to  obtain  a  few 
more  recruits  to  raise  his  Company  to  the  maximum  number." 

"Dec.  28th.  Twenty  recruits  have  been  obtained  by  Capt. 
Wm.  F.  Bailey  whose  Company,  the  Weeks  Guard,  is  attached 
to  Col.  Jenkin's  Regt.  and  is  now  in  Camp  at  Sing  Sing." 

"Jan.  24th,  1862.  This  Company  is  rapidly  filling  up.  40 
recruits  have  been  mustered  in.  It  has  an  efficient  and  power- 
ful patron  in  the  person  of  Hon.  Chauncey  R.  Wqeks." 

"Feb.  15th.  The  report  has  arrived  of  the  death  of  John  C. 
Dean,  of  Carmel,  a  member  of  Co.  J.  59th  Regt.,  and  son  of 
Milton  N.  Dean.  He  died  at  Camp  Sherman,  D.  C.  Also  re- 
port of  the  death  of  Sutton  Ga  Nun,  a  volunteer  from  Brewster." 

"March  27th.  The  Weeks  Guard  from  this  County  and  a 
portion  of  a  Company  from  White  Plains  and  another  from 
Peekskill,  in  the  3d  Regt.  were  consolidated,  forming  one  Com- 
pany of  104  men,  and  on  Friday  last  their  Regt.  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  Warren  Rifles,  from  Rockland  County,  and  the 
Regiment  is  now  the  95th  N.  Y.  S.  V.  Lieut.  Wm.  F.  Bailey 
was  promoted  to  be  Captain  of  tlie  consolidated  company.  It 
left  for  the  seat  of  war  last  Saturday.  Capt.  Bailey  on  his 
hasty  departure,  requested  us  to  tender  his  acknowledgement 
to  many  gentlemen  of  the  County  to  whose  liberality  he  attri- 
butes his  success." 

"  March  22d.  Sergeant  Harvey  Wilson,  of  the  95th  Regt.  is 
now  on  recruiting  duty  in  the  County." 

"It  gives  us  pleasure  to  mention  the  brilliant  conduct  of 
young  Mr.  J.  B.  Van  Duzer,  in  the  late  engagement  with  the 
Merrimack,  in  Hampton  Roads.  Mr.  Van  Duzer  was  Master's 
mate  on  board  the  Minnesota,  and  commanded  the  3rd  Division 
of  Guns.  His  Division  was  especially  mentioned  as  making  the 
best  line  shots.  Who  will  not  agree  with  us  that  the  worthy 
lady  who  presided  over  the  Carmel  Relief  Society  has  reason  to 
be  proud  of  her  patriotic  sons." 

He  was  a  son  of  Selah  Van  Duzer;  another  son  was  Lieutenant 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  207 

ia  a  Cavalry  Regt.,  while  still  another  was  an  officer  on  board 
the  steamer  Mohawk. 

"June  7th.  The  Co.  of  Capt.  Mattice  and  Pauldings  Co.  of 
Peekskill  have  been  consolidated.  Paulding  was  made  Captain 
of  the  new  Company  on  account  of  his  having  the  greater  num- 
ber of  men,  and  Capt.  Mattice  was  made  1st  Lieut.  Capt. 
Paulding  resigned,  and  Mattice  was  then  commissioned  as 
Captain  of  the  Company,  which  was  Co.  I.  59th  Regt.,  and  is 
stationed  at  Tenallytown,  D.  C." 

"  June  14th.  The  remains  of  Daniel  W.  Travis,  son  of  Jere- 
miah Travis  of  Kent  were  brought  home  and  interred  in  the 
Baptist  burying  ground  at  Red  Mills.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
13th  Mich.  Regt.,  to  which  state  he  went  in  1854,  and  he  died  at 
Nashville,  Tenn." 

"June  30th.  News  of  the  death  of  Martin  Baxter,  son  of 
Moses  Baxter,  of  Putnam  Valley.  He  was  Orderly  in  Co.  G., 
38th  Regt.,  N.  Y.  V.,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Seven 
Pines,  and  buried  on  the  field." 

"  July  19th.  Joseph  Shaw  of  Co.  F.,  38th  Regt.,  is  reported 
sick  at  David's  Island." 

He  died  and  was  buried  in  the  Presbyterian  Cemetery, 
Carmel. 

"Aug.  2d,  comes  the  report  of  the  death  of  Lieut.  Charles F. 
Van  Duzer,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Gaines  Mills,  June 
27th." 

On  the  16th  of  August,  1862,  came  the  announcement  of  the 
draft  made  necessary  to  fill  the  wasted  armies  of  the  country. 
The  ijeople  of  Southeast  raised  a  fund  of  $2,600,  as  a  town 
bounty  fund,  to  be  paid  to  volunteers.  Capt.  George  H.  Dean 
began  recruiting  and  obtained  six  recruits  in  a  week.  He 
belonged  to  the  1st  Batalion  of  Mounted  Rifles,  Col.  C.  C. 
Dodge. 

"  Aug.  23rd.  The  people  are  aroused,  2  large  public  meetings 
were  held  at  Cold  Spring,  Farmer's  Mills,  Ludingtonville,  Brew- 
ster, Carmel,  Lake  Mahopac,  Red  Mills  and  Tompkin's  Cor- 
ners. A  fund  has  been  raised  in  the  several  towns  for  volun- 
teering. This  County  is  required  to  raise  two  full  Companies. 
160  men  have  already  enlisted." 

"  Webster  Smith,  of  Farmer's  Mills  has  sold  his  business  and 
a  company  of  men  have  bought  his  store  and  tavern,  and  he  is 
now  recruiting  a  Company  for  the  war.     He  has  already  ob- 


208  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

tained  twelve  men,  in  and  around  Farmer's  Mills.  He  is  just 
tlie  man  needed  for  the  occasion,  and  deserves  all  the  assist- 
ance that  the  loyal  and  patriotic  citizens  can  give  him." 

"A  Special  Town  Meeting  was  held  for  the  town  of  Carmel, 
at  Lake  Mahopac,  on  Aug.  21st,  to  vote  a  bounty  of  $100  for 
each  volunteer.     Out  of  134  votes  all  but  two  were  in  favor." 

"Charles  E.  Benedict,  late  Editor  of  the  Putnam  County 
Courier,  has  enlisted  in  an  Orange  County  Regiment." 

He  contracted  camp  fever  in  the  service  and  returning  home, 
died  at  his  fathers  residence,  at  Warwick,  Orange  county,  No- 
vember 1st,  1862. 

"Aug.  16th.  War  Meeting  at  Lake  Mahopac;  Leonard  D. 
Clift,  Chairman.  An  address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  who  spoke  with  his  vinequaled  eloquence.  Pa- 
triotic resolutions  were  passed.  C.  H.  Ludington,  of  New  York, 
donated  $500  to  aid  the  cause  of  volunteering." 

"Aug.  30th.  Kent  in  a  patriotic  blaze.  We  hear  that  36 
volunteers  have  been  obtained  in  that  town,  and  as  her  quota 
under  both  calls  is  45  men,  only  nine  more  are  wanted  to  fill 
it.  Kent  will  be  the  banner  town  of  Old  Putnam.  George 
Ludington  and  i^ddison  J.  Hopkins  are  the  enrolling  officers." 

The  following  was  the  quota  of  each  town  under  the  first 
draft : 

Carmel 70 

Philipstown  141 

Kent 45 

Patterson .  46 

Putnam  Valley 49 

Southeast 73 


424 
"Sept.  6th.  Kent  filled  her  quota  in  eleven  days.  A  com- 
pany of  men  bought  out  Webster  Smith's  store,  tavern  and 
property,  at  Parmer's  Mills,  and  he  is  now  a  Captain,  and  with 
a  large  part  of  the  volunteers,  are  on  the  route  to  Washington." 
"Sept.  13th.  A. large  and  enthusiastic  meeting  was  held  at 
Smalley's  Hotel,  Carmel;  Hon.  Chauncey  Weeks,  President. 
George  Ludington  offered  a  bounty  of  $120,  to  every  man  who 
should  enlist.  In  the  evening  another  meeting  was  held  in  the 
Court  House:  Joseph  Cole  Esq.,  President.  Another  spirited 
meeting  at  Red  Mills  on  last  Wednesday  night,  and  one  at 


(GENERAL   HISTORY.  209 

Towners  Station  last  night.  Another  this  afternoon  at  Lake 
Mahopac,  and  one  will  be  held  at  the  house  of  Daniel  Drew, 
next  Monday  evening." 

"Anthony  Wayne  Guards,  135th  Regt.  The  organization  of 
this  Regt.  has  been  completed  in  a  very  short  time;  but  two 
weeks  was  occupied  in  recruiting  Co.  G.,  Webster  Smith,  Cap- 
tain; Stephen  Baker  1st.  Lieut.;  Charles  F.  Hazen  2nd.  Lieut.; 
No.  of  men  101.  The  men  from  Kent,  Carmel  and  Southeast. 
Rev.  H.  W.  Smuller,  of  Carmel  was  appointed  Chaplain." 

"Sept.  27th.  List  of  killed  and  wounded  in  Co.  L  59th.  Regt. 
Capt.  Mattice,  at  the  Battle  of  Antietam,  Sept.  17th.  Killed 
Pierce  Miller,  Edgar  Sutton,  J.  S.  D.  Riker,  Herman  Wilson, 
George  Sweet,  Hamilton  Stewart.  Wounded,  Harvey  N.  Wil- 
son, George  Walters,  Wm.  .N.  Pratt,  Edward  Williams,  Samuel 
N.  Dexter,  John  Acker,  Tho.  Brady,  Samuel  Berry,  Tho.  Kirch, 
James  I.  Light,  James  Martin,  Andrew  Proud,  Henry  B.  Wixon, 
Daniel  D.  Wixon,  Wm.  W.  Dean,  Patrick  Dorly,  C.  Cronk, 
Wm.  Horton,  Elias  Tilford,  Nelson  Mead,  Harvey  Smalley." 

"Capt.  Wm.  P.  Bailey  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
army,  Aug.  31st  1862." 

"Jan.  16th,  1863.  Webster  Smith's  Co.,  attached  to  6th. 
Artillery  Regt.  The  report  has  arrived  of  the  death  of  Wm. 
Frost  of  Co.  D.     He  was  a  young  man  from  Patterson." 

"  Feb.  24th.  The  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Putnam  County, 
convened  for  the  purpose  of  authorizing  the  collection  of 
bounty  money,  paid  by  the  various  towns." 

"March  14th.  Harvey  N.  Wilson,  Orderly  Sergeant  of  Co. 
J.,  95th  Regt.,  died  in  the  General  Hospital,  Frederick,  Mary- 
land, March  7th,  of  wounds  received  at  Antietam.  His  remains 
were  brought  home  and  buried,  in  the  Baptist  burying  ground 
Carmel." 

Major-Gen.  Couch,  who  commanded  the  2d  Army  Corps,  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  a  native  of  the  town  of  South- 
east. 

"  May  2d,  1863.  Jabez  Robinson  of  Carmel,  in  Capt.  Mat- 
tice's  Co.,  was  wounded  at  Pair  Oaks  and  honorably  dis- 
charged." 

"  May  9th.     Lieut.  Charles  F.  Hazen  died  on  Saturday  last 
at  Maryland   Heights.     He   belonged   to   6th   N.  Y.  Artillery, 
and  perished  at  the  early  age  of  32.     He  was  buried  at  the  Bap- 
tist  burying  ground  Carmel." 
14 


210  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"Sept.  23d.  Quota  of  each  town  for  the  draft  ordered: 
Philipstown,  190;  Southeast,  79;  Carmel,  68;  Putnam  Valley 
38;  Kent,  36;  Patterson,  36." 

"Dec.  26th-.  Lieut.  G.  Doughty  Hyatt,  of  Putnam  Valley 
has  been  presented  with  a  splendid  sword." 

"May  14th,  1864.  Quota  of  each  town  under  draft  of  1864: 
Philipstown,  72;  Carmel,  45;  Putnam  Valley,  45." 

"Lieut.  Horton  R.  Piatt,  killed  at  Spottsylvania  Court 
House,  May  16th,  1864." 

"Special  meeting  of  Supervisors,  held  July  28th,  and  bonds 
were  issued  to  the  amount  of  $75,000.  These  were  sold  at  public 
auction  and  were  bought  by  George  Mortimer  Belden,  at  1  per 
cent  premium.  Bonds  to  the  amount  of  $20,000  were  afterwards 
issued." 

"Nov.  5th.  Jarvis  Pugsley,  who  has  served  three  years  and 
been" wounded,  has  been  discharged." 

"Oscar  Knapp  of  4th  Artillery,  who  has  been  in  almost  every 
battle  and  in  one  charge  had  his  clothes  perforated  by  several 
balls,  has  been  discharged." 

"  Jan.  3rd,  1865.  Special  town  meeting  in  Patterson.  Re- 
solved that  every  man  who  shall  pay  to  a  committee  appointed 
for  that  purpose,  the  sum  of  $25,  shall  be  secured  from  dr-af t, 
and  the  Supervisor  and  Town  Clerk  were  authorized  to  raise  a 
sum  necessary  to  supply  the  draft." 

"Jan.  28th;  Hon.  Robert  P.  Parrott,  of  West  Point  Foun- 
dry, has  paid  the  taxes  of  all  the  widows  and  of  the  soldiers 
absent  to  the  war,  residing  in  Philipstown.  This  is  but  one  of 
the  many  good  acts  flowing  from  his  generous  heart  and  kindly 
hand."  " 

The  whole  number  of  credits  since  the  establishment  of  the 
Provost  Marshall's  office  at  Tarrytown:  Philipstown,  294;  Put- 
nam Valley,  104;  Carmel,  137;  Southeast,  147;  Kent,  80;  Pat- 
terson, 88. 

The  action  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  was  duly  legalized 
by  acts  of  the  Legislature,  and  the  debt  thus  contracted,  was  in 
a  few  years  paid. 

From  the  information  available  at  this  late  day  it  is  impos- 
sible to  give  anything  like  a  complete  record  of  Putnam  county 
volunteers.  The  following  list  has  been  prepared  with  great 
care  and  contains  the  names  (so  far  as  ascertained)  of  those  en- 
listing from  this  county,  with  the  regitnents  in  which  they 
served. 


GENERAL  PIISTOEY.  211 

Ist  Regiment  Mounted  Rifles,  Co.  I:— Foster  C.  Carl,  James 
McCollum,  William  H.  Nixon,  Stopplebaam. 

4th  Regiment  Heavy  Artillery,  Co.  A:— Tho.  D.  Sears,  Capt.; 
Martim  V.  B.  Akin,  Orderly;  Henry  W.  Hayden,  Sergeant; 
Oscar  Knapp,  Stephen  D.  Butler,  Peter  Garr,  Lindon  J.  Cowl, 
Zephaniah  Denny,  Wm.  E.  Doane,  Silas  Haviland,  Geo.  H. 
Hubbard,  Merritt  Washburn,  Bernard  McEnnaly,  James  Mc- 
DonaM,  Elisha  Penny,  Mills  Reynolds,  Leonard  H.  Secor,  James 
P.  Rogers,  Levi  Benedict,  Obed  P.  Townsend,  Herman  H.  Cole, 
Charles  Bradley,  John  Sweetman,  Capt.,  James  P.  Rogers, 
Lewis  P.  Rogers,  Joseph  Sprague,  David  H.  Terrill,  Elijah 
Wilson,  Elbert  Wilson,  Geo.  W.  Wixon,  James  Wynn,  Horace 
Eastwood,  Norman  Davis,  James  Morey,  Ephraim  Davis,  John 
S.  Trowbridge, McGlohlin. 

135th  Regiment",  N.Y.  S.  V.,  Co.  D:— Charles  P.  Crosby,  Ser- 
geant; Sylvester  Forkel,  Wm.  G.  Barnes,  James  I.  Turner, 
Josiah  D.  Baker,  Ferris  Barrett,  Daniel  Burch,  Frederick  But- 
ler, Solomon  Carpenter,  Clarence  Cowl,  Geo.  W.  Cowl,  James 
H.  Couch,  Herman  B.  Crosby,  Augustus  Eastwood,  Lathrop 
Eddy,  William  Frost,  James  E.  Grant,  Martin  Needham,  Eli 
R.  Smith,  Geo.  P.  Taylor,  David  Washburn,  Henry  Worden. 

135th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,  Co.  G:  Webster  Smith,  Capt.; 
Stephen  Baker,  1st  Lieut. ;  Charles  F.  Hazen,  2d  Lieut. ;  Edward 
Bailey,  ■  Sergeant ;  Seymour  B.  Phillips,  Sergeant;  Wm.  S. 
Hadley,  Sergeant;  Hart  Wright,  Sergeant;  James  E.  Lee, 
Sergeant;  David  Wixon,  Corporal;  Seth  Contant,  Corporal; 
Lewis  G.  Baldwin,  Corporal;  James  Ostrander,  Corporal;  Walter 
S.  Robson,  Corporal;  Michael  McGarrick,  Corporal;  Petras  S. 
Halstead,  Corporal;  John  S.  Sherwood,  Corporal;  Wm.  Ames, 
Jeremiah  Austin,  Isaac  Barrett,  Vincent  Barrett,  Richard  S. 
Brooks,  Dingee  Barrett,  Lorenzo  Bacon,  Gilbert  D.  Bailey,  Joel 
Bates,  Wm.  Burns,  Samuel  A.  Bailey,  Franklin  Bowdy,  Alonzo 
C.  Collins,  Tho.  L.  Corbon,  Samuel  A.  Coe,  Myron  Dingee, 
Alfred  Dexter,  Charles  Davis,  Philip  W.  Dexter,  Geo.  H.  Davis, 
Leonard  Dexter  ;  John  Dexter,  Francis  H.  Everett,  Geo.  W.  Fo- 
shay,  Joseph  Fisher,  John  T.  Fisher, Geo.  W.  Fisher,  Charles  Fo- 
shay,  Joseph  Furguson,  Elias  L.  Ferguson,  Jeremiah  Frost,  Gil- 
bert Form  an,  James  Galbreth,  Bailey  Garning,  Alonzo  Ganung, 
Oliver  H.  Gay,  Urban  T.  Housler,  James  T.  Hart,  Eli  W.  Hart, 

'Formed  as  the  185th  Regiment  of  Infantry  and  converted  into  6th  Regiment 
of  Artillery  while  at  Baltimore. 


212  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Henry  H.  Harris,  Hiram  Hitclicock,  Joseph  B.  Hutchins,  Jolin 
C.  Jordan,  Horace  Kirk,  Albert  Knapp,  Wm.  D. Light,  Daniel  T. 
Ludlow,  Tho.  Lyons,  Robert  G.  Lee,  Albert  W.  Lent,  BlvinMead, 
James  McDonald,  James  Morrisroe,  Lewis  Martin,  Joseph  L. 
Parker,  John  E,.  Parker,  Isaac  W.  Parker,  Horace  Quick,  Vin- 
cent Russel,  James  A.  Rundle,  Wm.  Robinson,  James  Ritchie, 
Sandford  Reynolds,  Henry  C.  Reed,  John  L.  Smalley,  Alonzo 
B;  Spencer,  James  K.  Screder,  Garret  'E.  Smalley,  Wm.  H. 
Smith,  Edwin  Smith,  Wm.  Satterly,  Joseph  I.  Smalley,  Michael 
Supple,  Dennis  ScuUey,  Orman  Smith,  Wm.  H.  Tilford,  James 
O.  Trowbridge,  Abraham  B.  Trowbridge,  Edward  Tilford, 
George  Williams,  Levi  Williams,  Henry  Wildman,  Silas  Wil- 
liams, James  T.  Wright. 

38th  Regiment,  IST.  Y.  S.  V.:  Jeremiah  W.  Hazen,  Samuel  T. 
Hart,  Horace  Bailey,  Isaac  Lockwood,  Francis  Gregory,  Joseph 
Robinson,  Joseph  E.  Shaw,  Robert  A.  Shaw,  Wm.  Robinson, 
Thomas  Washburn.  Wm.  F.  Bailey. 

6th  Regiment  Artillery,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,  Co.  L:  Sylvester  B. 
Truesdell,  Capt.;  Lewis  L.  Young,  1st  Lieut.;  Wm.  G.  Ferris,. 
2d  Lieut. ;  Tompkins  Minthorne,  1st  Sergeant;  Wm.  R.  Vree- 
denburg,  2d  Sergeant;  John  McKechnie,  3d  Sergeant;  Wm.  R. 
Bloomer,  4th  Sergeant;  Wm.  Emmerson,  5th  Sergeant;  Alonzo 
Light,  Corporal;  Theodore  McEwen,  Corporal;  Justus  T.  Crosby,. 
Lieut.;  James  H.  prince.  Corporal;  Wm.  P.  Dykeman,  Cor- 
poral; Harrison  Crane,  Corporal:  Matthew  Rack,  Corporal; 
Theodore  Lovelace,  Corporal;  John  Hamilton.  Corporal;  Dennis 
Scully,  John  McGowan,  Enoch  Griffith,  Jordan  Ackerman, 
James  Ritchie,  Frank Everitt,  Wm.  Satterlee,  Wm.  C.  Brewster, 
Sandford  Reynolds,  James  Ashmond,  Tho.  Agnew,  Wm.  Bar- 
ton, James  Barnes,  James  Britlifle,  Martin  Burton,  Elijah  Bal- 
lard, Geo.  W.  Bratton,  Ferris  Briggs,  Gurnesy  B.  Banks,  Fran- 
cis N.  Booth,  James  Brown,  Robert  Cambel,  Jameson  Clark, 
Wm.  Cubbitt,  Francis  Coxe,  John  Cambell,  Fraz.  G.  Gauzler, 
John  D.  Crawford,  Wm.  Dobbs,  John  J.  Davis,  Geo.  W.  Den 
ney,  John  P.  Daniels,  John  Jordan,  Dingee  Barrett,  Geo.  H. 
Davis,  Charles  Davis,  Geo.  E.  Dean,  Wm.  Denike,  Langdon  R. 
Daniels,  Charles  Dykeman,  Samuel  Ehret,  Isaac  D.  Finch,  Perry 
Ferris,  Harrison  Ferris,  Josiah  Ferris,  Milton  Ferris,  Isaac  Ferris, 
Tho.  Flood,  Hubert  Fallon,  Abraham  Ferguson,  David  Frost, 
Lemuel  French,  Willis  S.  Gorham,Wm.  Gilbert,  John  Jay  Griffin, 
Sylvanus    Haight,  Wm.    Hitherton,    Henry    Horton,    Edward 


GENERAL  HISTORT.  213 

Bailey,  Jacob  Tilford,  Harrison  Crane,  James  Ritchie,  Albert 
Hoton,  Luke  Higgins,  Tho.  Hamilton,  Tho.  Higgins,  Alanson 
Hoyt,  Joseph  Hopkins,  Edward  Ireland,  Richmond  Ireland,  John 
Jennings,  Wm.  H.  Kimble,  Charles  Kimble,  Andrew  J.  Light, 
Justus  Lake,  Coleman  Light,  John  W.  Light,  Michael  Mott,  Da- 
vid J.  Meeks,  Dennis  Mahony,  Andrew  Moody,  Michael  McGrow- 
an,  James  McGan,  Theodore  Merritt,  Gilbert  Wright,  Fred.  R. 
Hall,  Gilbert  Bailey,  Peter  Halstead,  Wm.  S.  Hadley,  Joseph 
Bates,  Alexander  McQuillan,  Joseph  McLean,  Tho.  Newman, 
Robert  Newman,  Alexander  Nelson,  Nelson  Odell,  Hugh  Plea- 
ven,  James  Queen,  Wm.  A.  Russell,  Wm.  Rooney,  Silas 
Smalley,  Edward  Sweeney,  John  Sweeney,  John  P.  Shriver, 
James  E.  Smalley,  Rowland  Sprague,  Seymour  Townsend,  Asa 
H.  Thomas,  James  Turner,  Elias  Townsend,  Warren  C.  Town- 
send,  Darius  Townsend,  Isaac  Van  Tassel,  Uriah  Wallace, 
James  W.  Wallace,  David  B.  Williams,  John  W.  Weeks, 
Daniel  Whaley,  Frederick  Warren,  James  Warren,  Agustus 
Warren.  Wm.  H.  Weeks,  John  White,  Valentine  Williams. 

6th  Regiment  Artillery,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,  Co.  M:  Donaldson 
Effingham,  2d  Lieut. 

13th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,  Co.  C:  Stephen  Ray. 

59th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,  Co.  I:  Gilbert  Reed,  Alexander 
G.  Smith,  Nelson  Mead,  John  C.  Dean. 

95th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  V.,  Co.  K:  Elbert  F.  Bailey,  Ser- 
geant; Zephaniah  Dakins,  jr.,  Jacob  Brown,  Tho.  Booth, 
Harvey  Wilson,  Sergeant;  John  S.  Boyd,  Patrick  Burns,  John 
Barret,  Jeremiah  Curry,  Oliver  Daniels,  John  P.  Daniels,  Geo. 
W.  Dakins,  John  M.  Griffin,  Henry  Horton,  Lewis  Latham, 
Charles  W.  Leveridge,  Wm.  H.  Miller,  John  J.  Miller,  Charles 
H.  Miller,  Abraham  B.  Travvis,  Nathaniel  J.  Travvis,  Stephen 
Worden,  John  Hilliker,  Wm.  H.  Heady,  W.  H.  Kirk;  Alvah 
Kirk,  John  Kruly,  Henry  Otis,  Samuel  Rhodes,  Silas  Scickler, 
Tho.  Stimson,  David  W-  Travvis,  Charles  H.  Travvis,  Patrick 
Tracy,  Peter  Worden,  Joshua  B.  Young. 

Of  Co.  K.,  95th  Regiment,  Capt.  William  F.  Bailey  was  com- 
mander. The  company  was  a  consolidated  one  composed  of 
parts  of  companies  from  this  county  and  from  Westchester  and 
Rockland. 

In  regiments  of  other  States:  Francis  A.  Bush,  27th  Iowa 
Regiment;  Byron  Crosby,  7th  Conn.  Regiment;  Francis  0. 
Myers,  54th  Mass.  Regiment;  John  Scruzar,  Duryea's  Zouaves; 


214  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Wrn.  W.  Newman,  7th  Conn.  Regiment;  Chauncey  Philips, 
29th  Conn.  Regiment;  Samuel  Berry,  16th  U.  S.  Infantry;  John 
Davis,  7th  Conn.  Regiment;  Prank  Wells,  Capt.  13th  Conn. 
Regiment;  Harvey  Newell;  Lieut.  F.  Burdick,  killed  in  action; 
Daniel  J.  D.  Crane,  buried  at  Milltown.  7th  Conn.  Regiment; 
James  Ballard,  James  Howard,  John  C.  Swords,  Henry  Wil- 
liams. 88th  Ind.  Regiment:  Samuel  R.  Burch,  John  M. 
Sloane,  Brush  Trowbridge,  Sergeant  Hart.  11th  Penn. 
Regiment:  George  H.  Crosby,  Wm.  H.  SWeetman. 

Among  those  who  distinguished  themselves  in  the  service  of 
their  country  in  the  Rebellion  the  following  are  deserving  of 
special  notice: 

GouvERNEUR  Kemble  Warrbn  was  born  at  the  village  of 
Cold  Spring,  January  8th,  1830,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Military  Academy  and  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brevet  2d  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers  July  1st,  1850. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  mustered  into  ser- 
vice May  14th,  1861,  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Fifth  New  York 
Volunteers. 

"  General  Warren  was  promoted  successively  from  the  grade 
of  Lieutenant  to  that  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 
and  Major  General,  U.  S.  Volunteers.  He  received  the  brevets 
of  Lieutenant  Colonel,  U.  S.  Army,  '  for  gallant  and  meritorious 
services  at  the  battle  of  Gaines'  Mill,'  Va.,  1862;  Colonel,  U.  S. 
Army,  '  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,'  Pa.,  1863;  Brigadier  General,  U.  S.  Army,  'for 
gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the  battle  of  Bristoe  Station,' 
1865;  and  Major  General,  U.  S.  Army,  '  for  gallant  and  meri- 
torious services  in  the  field  during  the  Rebelion,'  1865." 

After  the  close  of  the  war  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death 
General  Warren  distinguished  himself  in  various  capacities  in 
the  civil  branches  of  his  profession.  The  Corps  order  under 
General  Wright,  announcing  his  death,  says: 

"  In  scientific  investigations  General  Warren  had  few  supe- 
riors; and  his  elaborate  reports  on  some  of  the  most  important 
works  which  have  been  confided  to  the  Corps  of  Engineers  are 
among  the  most  valuable  contributions  to  its  literature. 

"  In  the  field,  in  the  late  civil  war,  he  was  a  brave  and  ener- 
getic officer,  and  in  the  high  command  to  which  he  attained  by 
his  patriotic  valor  and  skill  he  merited  the  admiration  of  the 
army  and  the  applause  of  his  country. 


GENERAL  HISTORi". 


215 


"  He  was  kind  and  considerate  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  and 
his  family  in  its  affliction  will  have  the  hearty  sympathy  of  the 
Corps  of  Engineers." 

General  Warren  died  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  August  8th,  1882. 

Stephen  Baker,  son  of  Daniel  and  Eunice  Nobby,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Southeast,  December  24th,  1835.  His  education 
was  such  as  the  hamlet  of  Milltown  could  afford.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  during  the  excitement  of  slavery  exten- 
sion, he  emigrated  to  Kansas  but  afterward  located  at  Omaha, 
Neb.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  transportation  of  supplies  to 
Fort  Kerney  and  Omaha  Reserve.  When  gold  was  discovered 
in  Colorado,  Mr.  Baker  was  the  first  to  prospect  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  in  the  regions  of  Pike's  Peak,  Long's  Peak,  South 
Park  and  Middle  Park.  All  the  plains  from  the  Missouri  to 
the  mountains  at  this  time  were  occupied  by  the  Arapahoe, 
Cheyenne,  Comanche,  Apache,  Sioux  and  Pawnee  Indians.  In 
consequence  of  failing  health,  Mr.  Baker  left  the  mountains 
and  returned  to  his  native  town,  where  he  soon  recovered. 

As  a  soldier,  Stephen  Baker  has  done  gallant  service  for  his 
country.  He  enlisted  as  first  lieutenant,  in  Co.  G,  135th  N.  Y. 
Vol.  Regiment,  which  was  converted  into  the  6th  N.  Y.  Vol. 
Artillery  and  defended  Harper's  Ferry  and  Maryland  Heights 
in  the  winter  of  1863.  The  next  June  he  joined  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  and  participated  in  its  marches,  retreats,  many 
battles  and  victories  until  the  final  surrender  of  the  Army  of 
Virginia,  under  General  Lee,  at  Appomattox.  Some  of  the 
battles  in  which  he  fought  were  South  Mountain,  Wapping 
Heights,  Battle  of  the  Wilderness,  Po  River,  Chestnut  Ridge, 
Spottsylvania,  North  Anna,  Bethesda  Church,  Mechanicsville 
Road  and  Petersburg.  Through  the  recommendation  of  supe- 
riors, he  was  promoted,  for  services  in  the  field,  and  with  his 
regiment,  joined  General  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley, 
where  he  remained  till  after  the  Battle  of  Cedar  Creek.  Being 
ordered  to  the  Army  of  the  James,  his  regiment  participated  in 
preventing  the  Rebel  ironclads  from  breaking  through  obstruc- 
tions and  cutting  off  the  base  of  supplies  at  City  Point  He 
was  promoted  a  second  time,  in  1864,  to  the  rank  of  major  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, and  remained  in  service  after  the  general  muster 
out  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  6th,  10th,  and  13th 
New  York  Artillery  Regiments,  numbering  1,875  men,  being 
consolidated  into  the  6th,  he  was  made  colonel  of  this  regiment 


216  HISTORY   OP  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  placed  in  commq,nd  at  Petersburg.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
in  1865,  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service. 

Again  he  returned  to  his  native  town  and  engaged  in  the 
lumber  and  feed  business  until  1875,  when  he  ventured  into  the 
manufacturing  of  hats,  which  ended  in  failure,  in  1879. 

Mr.  Baker  was  member  of  Assembly,  from  Putnam  county, 
for  the  years  of  1866  and  1867.  He  has  held  the  position  of 
inspector  of  customs,  in  New  York  city,  since  1880. 

General  William  Hopkins  Morris'  is  the  son  of  General 
George  P.  Morris,  author  of  "  Woodman,  Spare  that  Tree," 
whose  former  country  seat,  Undercliff,  is  situated  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Hudson,  near  the  village  of  Cold  Spring.  The 
grounds  consist  of  thirty-five  acres,  and  are  adorned  with  lofty 
shade  trees,  nearly  all  of  which  were  planted  by  him.  The 
mansion  is  massive  in  its  architecture  and  commands  from  its 
windows  views  of  West  Point,  Cro  Nest,  and  Newburgh  Bay. 
Lossing,  the  historian,  calls  Undercliff  "  The  Gem  of  the  Hud- 
son." 

Gen.  George  P.  Morris  resided  here  for  more  than  half  his 
life  time,  and  many  of  his  most  beautiful  and  popular  poems 
were  suggested  by  the  enchanting  surroundings  of  this  roman- 
tic place.  It  was  while  living  here  that  he  began  the  successful 
weekly  paper  entitled  "  The  National  Press,  a  Journal  for 
Home,"  but  he  changed  the  name  after  a  few  issues,  to  that  of 
"The  Home  Journal,"  the  title  which  it  still  bears.  After  a 
short  time  he  was  induced  to  take  as  a  partner  and  Joint  editor, 
Mr.  N.  P.  Willis,  and  Morris  &  Willis  continued  the  editors 
and  proprietors  of  that  paper  during  the  remainder  of  their 
lives. 

Gen.  George  P.  Morris  married  Mary  Worthing,  daughter  of 
George  P.  Hopkins,  of  New  York  city,  and  had  by  her  one  son, 
William,  and  two  daughters,  Ida  and  Georgiana. 

His  son,  William  Hopkins  Morris,  was  born  in  New  York 
city,  April  22d,  1827.  He  was  graduated  from  the  West  Point  Mili- 
tary Academy,  in  June,  1851,  and  entered  the  army  as  brevet  2d 
lieutenant  in  the  2d  Regiment  of  Infantry.  He  was  ordered  to 
Fort  Yuma,  California,  where  he  served  under  Major  Heintzel- 
man.  Ill  health,  caused  by  the  severity  of  the  climate,  induced 
him  to  resign.  Returning  to  New  York,  he  engaged  in  literary 
pursuits.     On  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  entered  the  vol- 

'  The  following  sketch  of  General  Morris  was  prepared  by  F.  L,  Beers. 


GENERAL   HI8T0KY.  217 

unteer  army  as  an  assistant  adjutant  general,  with  the  rank  of 
captain,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  as  chief  of  staff  to  Gen.  John 
J.  Peck,  and  served  as  such  through  the  Peninsular  Campaign, 
under  McClellan,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  was  re- 
peatedly mentioned  for  gallant  services  by  General  Peck  in  his 
official  reports  of  battles.  At  the  close  of  that  campaign.  Cap- 
tain Morris  was  elected  colonel  of  the  135th  Regt.  N.Y.  Volunteer 
Infantry,  raised  in  the  counties  of  Putnam,  Westchester  and 
Rockland,  and  organized  by  Col.  Lewis  G.  Morris,  of  Morri- 
sania.  Col.  William  H.  Morris  took  command,  and  the  regi- 
ment was  ordered  to  the  front.  On  its  way  it  was  stopped  at 
Baltimore.  In  six  weeks  time  the  regiment  was  so  well  in- 
structed and  drilled  that  it  was  chosen  by  General  Wool  from 
among  some  dozen  regiments,  for  the  honor  of  conversion  into 
artillery,  and  became  the  6th  Regiment  of  N.  Y.  Artillery, 
whose  brilliant  services  in  the  field  made  it  one  of  the  most 
famous  regiments  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

Colonel  Morris  was  given  the  command  of  Fort  McHenry,  at 
Baltimore,  and  his  regiment  added  to  its  garrison.  Soon  after 
he  was  ordered  to  Harper's  Ferrj^.  While  here  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general  and  placed  in  charge  of 
Maryland  Heights  with  a  force  consisting  of  regiments  of  in- 
fantry and  cavalry,  and  batteries  of  heavy  guns.  During  the 
advance  of  Lee,  Maryland  Heights  were  for  some  days  cut  off 
from  all  communication  with  supports,  except  by  flag  signals, 
and  as  the  great  Southern  general  advanced,  the  prospect  of  de- 
struction seemed  inevitable;  but  one  bright  morning  the  blue 
coats  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  were  reported  by  the  signal 
ofiicer,  and  then  the  suspense  was  relieved.  Maryland  Heights 
were  abandoned  by  the  Union  troops,  and  General  Morris  was 
ordered  to  join  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  his  command  be- 
came a  part  of  the  3d  Army  Corps.  When  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  was  reorganized,  the  3d  Corps  was  divided,  and  a  part 
was  ordered  to  the  2d  Corps,  and  the  rest,  including  General 
Morris'  brigade,  joined  the  6th  Army  Corps,  commanded  by 
General  Sedgwick.  During  his  service  in  this  renowned  corps, 
under  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  General  Morris'  brigade,  which  was 
composed  of  the  106th  N.  Y.,  151st  N.  Y.,  14th  N.  J.,  87th 
Penn.,  and  10th  Vt.  Regiments  of  Infantry,  made  for  itself  a 
record  unexcelled  for  brilliancy.  While  in  this  corps  General 
Morris  was  severely  wounded  in  the  Battle  of  the   Wilderness, 


218  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

and  for  his  "gallant  and  meritorious  services"  in  that  great 
battle,  he  had  conferred  upon  him  the  rank  of  brevet  major 
general  by  the  president  of  the  United  States.  After  the  war, 
having  been  honorably  mustered  out  of  service,  General  Morris 
returned  to  Undercliflf,  his  home,  and  resided  there,  during 
which  time  he  married  Kate,  daughter  of  Dr.  Adrian  K.  Hoff- 
man, of  Westchester  county,  and  had  by  her  one  son,  whom  he 
named  Greorge  Philip  Morris,  after  the  poet. 

General  Morris  represented  the  county  of  Putnam  in  the 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1867,  was  chief  of  ordnance  and 
inspector  general  of  the  State  of  New  York,  in  the  National 
Guards.  He  is  the  author  of  the  "System  of  Tactics  for  In- 
fantry ' '  armed  with  breech-loading  or  magazine  rifles. 

We  cannot  close  this  sketch  without  alluding  to  the  deep 
friendship  which  existed  between  General  Morris  and  Gen.  G. 
K.  Warren,  of  Cold  Spring.  It  began  in  childhood  and  in- 
creased in  strength  with  every  year  of  their  lives.  Well  may 
this  village  be  proud  of  having  contributed  two  distinguished 
general  officers  to  the  grandest  of  all  our  armies,  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  MILITIA  OF  PUTNAM  COUNTY. 


BY   GEN.    JAMES  RYDEE. 


THE  first  account  we  have  of  any  organization  of  the  militia 
is  from  an  order  signed  by  Col.  John  Field  to  Lieut. 
Jonathan  Crane  in  1777,  to  wit:  "You  are  hereby  appointed  a 
Commandant  of  the  Guard  for  the  protection  of  the  inhabitants 
in  this  quarter  agreeable  to  orders  Late  rec'"!  from  our  Grov"^. 
You  are  in  person  to  call  upon  the  persons  whose  names  are  In- 
serted in  the  annexe'^  List  this  day  to  enter  the  service  under 
your  Command  You  are  to  Rendezvous  this  evening  at  the  house 
of  Major  Mott  when  you  will  receive  further  orders.  You  will 
make  Return  to  me  of  the  names  of  any  such  person  as  may 
Neglect  or  refuse  to  put  themselves  under  your  Command. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  this  8th  day  of  October,  1777. 

"John  Field,  Colo. 
"To  Lieut.  Jonathan  Crane." 

In  1786  Jonathan  Crane  was  commissioned  "  captain  No.  3  of 
a  company  in  the  Regiment  of  the  Militia  of  the  County  of 
Dutchess  of  which  William  Pearce,  Esq.,  is  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Commandant."    Commission  signed  by  Geo.  Clinton,  Governor. 

In  1793,  Jonathan  Crane,  Esq.,  was  commissioned  second 
major  of  a  regiment  of  militia  in  the  county  of  Dutchess  where- 
of Samuel  Augustus  Barker  was  lieutenant  colonel  command- 
ant. 

April  25th,  1797,  Jonathan  Crane,  Esq.,  was  commissioned  by 
Gov.  John  Jay  as  lieutenant  colonel  commandant  of  a  regiment 
of  militia  in  the  county  of  Dutchess. 

In  1808,  Anson  Crane  was  commissioned  by  Gov.  Daniel  D. 
Tompkins  captain  of  a  company  in  the  regiment  of  militia  in 


220  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

the  county  of   Dutchess  whereof  Joseph  C.  Field,  Esq.,  was 
lieutenant"  colonel  commandant. 

By  an  act  of  Congress  passed  in  1792  for  the  organization  of 
the  militia,  the  commanding  officer  of  each  regiment  was  a 
lieutenant  colonel  commandant,  which  office  was  continued  till 
1818  when  the  organization  of  regiments  was  as  before  com- 
manded by  a  colonel;  with  a  lieutenant  colonel  and  major  as 
field  officers.  This  accounts  for  the  lieutenant  colonel  com- 
mandants between  Col.  John  Field  and  Col.  Reuben  D.  Barnum. 
That  part  of  the  present  county  of  Putnam  consisting  of  South- 
east and  Patterson  was  in  the  bounds  of  the  35th  Regiment, 
and  six  of  the  eight  companies  in  the  regimental  district  were 
in  the  towns  mentioned. 

The  Monkeytown  Company  held  its  company  trainings  near 
where  the  milk  factory  now  stands.  The  captains  of  this  com- 
pany from  time  to  time  were  Samuel  Ryder,  Gilbert  Reynolds, 
Stephen  Ryder,  Orrin  B.  Crane,  Thatcher  H.  Theall  and  Isaac 
A.  Crane. 

The  Sodom  Company  trained  at  Sodom  Corners,  now  South- 
east Center.  Among  its  captains  were  Orrin  Richards,  Jacob 
O.  Howes,  and  Reuben  B.  Lawrence. 

The  MilUown  Company's  headquarters  were  at  Mill  town,  and 
some  of  its  officers  were  Joseph  Palmer,  Piatt  Baldwin,  Albert 
Brush,  William  F.  Fowler,  H.  K.  Beebe  and  Isaac  Volney 
Higgins. 

The  Elm  Tree  Company  held  its  company  trainings  at  a  tavern 
near  the  "big  elm,"  kept  by  Cap t.  Daniel  Reed.  Some  of  its 
officers  were  Daniel  Reed,  Elijah  Barnum,  Patterson  Barnum, 
Orlando  P.  Barnum  and  Francis  A.  Seeley. 

From  a  letter  written  by  Col.  Nathan  Pearce  in  1879,  he  says: 
"  The  next  company  paraded  at  Haviland  Corner.  It  was  com- 
posed of  the  Eastern  part  of  Patterson  and  south  eastern  part 
of  Pawling  so  as  to  include  the  Slocums.  The  most  prominent 
Captain  was  Asa  Akin." 

The  Sixth  Company  paraded  at  Harry  Hayt's  in  West  Pat- 
terson including  the  rest  of  the  town  of  Patterson.  Their  for- 
mer captains  were  Dean,  Smith,  Pugsley,  Squires  and  Samuel 
C.  Reynolds. 

The  Seventh  Company  paraded  at  Hurd's  Corner,  and  the 
Eighth  at  Jackson  Wing's,  but  they  were  out  of  the  county. 


GENERAL   HISTOKY.  221 

The  35th  Regiment  was  in  the  30th  Brigade  and  7th  Division. 
General  Jacob  L.  Scofield  was  the  last  brigadier  general  of  the 
brigade  at  the  time  of  its  disbandment  in  1847.  He  died 
March  27th,  1886,  at  Fishkill,  in  the  92d  year  of  his  age. 

Major  General  John  Brush  of  Poughkeepsie  was  commandant 
of  the  Division  as  early  as  1824,  and  to  the  disbandment,  which 
took  place  in  consequence  of  a  change  in  the  system. 

Regimental  parades  of  the  35th  were  held  at  Haviland  Corner, 
now  Aiken  Corner,  as  far  back  as  to  the  days  of  Col.  Crane  and, 
to  the  last  meetings. 

The  succession  of  colonels  and  commanding  officers  as  nearly 
as  can  be  ascertained  were:  John  Field,  of  Southeast,  1777; 
William  Pearce  of  Pawling,  1786;  Samuel  Augustus  Barker, 

1793;  Burton,  1795  (By  Gen.   Orders);  Jonathan  Crane, 

Southeast,  1797;  Joseph  C.  Field,  Southeast,  1808;  Isaac  Cros- 
by, Southeast;  Hart  Weed,  Southeast,  1815;  Samuel  Allen; 
JohnT.  Hotchkiss;  Reuben  D.  Barnum,  Southeast,  1821;  Nathan 
Pearce,  Pawling.  1823  (died  July  31st,  1882);  Stephen  Ryder, 
Southeast,  1828  (died  April  30th,  1876);  John  Hall,  Southeast, 
1831;  Piatt  Baldwin,  Southeast;  Lewis  Doane,  Southeast; 
Thomas  Gage,  Southeast,  about  1840;  Jacob  O.  Howes,  South- 
east; Thatcher  H.  Theall,  Southeast  (died  in  1886);  and  Leray 
Barnum,  Southeast. 

There  was,  about  the  beginning  of  this  century,  a  company  of 
light  infantry  commanded  by  David  Lambert  De  Forest.  A 
company  of  light  horse  cavalry  was  in  existence  for  a  long 
time.  James  Sherwood  was  its  cajjtain  and  Charles  Brewster, 
lieutenant. 

The  61st  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  was  composed  of  the  four 
western  towns  of  the  county.  Its  last  colonel  was Hitch- 
cock. It  was  in  the  30th  Brigade  and  7th  Division  as  was  the 
35th.  There  was  an  artillery  company  in  its  bounds  probably 
attached  to  it,  of  which  Capt.  Edmund  Pierce  was  commandant 
and  Abel  Gregory  was  lieutenant. 

The  regimental  TJarade  was  held  at  Boyd's  tavern,  near  the 
present  reservoir.  It  was  a  great  day.  Many  an  amusing  anec- 
dote might  be  related  of  the  actions  of  the  "Mountaineers,"  a 
race  now  probably  extinct;  of  their  dances  in  the  highways 
and  throwing  pumpkin  pies  at  each  other,  besides  other  events 
not  to  be  supposed  to  adorn  history.      Owing  to  the  popularity 


222  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

of  general  trainings  the  regiment  continued  in  good  order 
till  the  change  of  law.  In  1846  a  law  was  passed  exempting 
members  of  the  uniformed  militia  from  military  service  by  a 
commutation  of  seventy-five  cents.  The  law  was  amended  in 
1847,  and  encouragement  was  given  to  the  formation  of  uni- 
formed companies.  The  State  was  divided  into  eight  division 
districts  and  thirty-two  brigade  districts.  The  7th  Brigade 
District  was  composed  of  the  counties  of  Putnam,  West- 
chester and  Rockland. 

The  18th  Regimental  District  was  composed  of  fourteen  towns 
in  Westchester  and  Putnam  counties.  Philipstown  was  the  6th 
Company  district,  Putnam  Valley,  Patterson  and  Kent  com- 
posed the  7th  Company  district,  and  Southeast  and  Carmel  the 
8th  Company  district  of  the  regiment.  A  uniformed  company 
■was  organized  at  Cold  Spring  in  6th  Company  district  called  the 
'■'•  Kenible  Ouards,^''  an  infantry  company  of  which  Levi  L.  Liv- 
ingston was  captain,  and  Jackson  O.  Dykman  was  first  lieu- 
tenant. The  company  was  well  uniformed  and  a  creditable 
organization. 

Another  company  was  organized  in  the  8th  Company  district, 
Southeast  and  Carmel,  called  the  Putnam  Guards,  an  infantry 
company  of  which  James  Ryder  was  captain,  Jackson  P.  Bal- 
lard first  lieutenant,  and  Edward  Wright  second  lieutenant. 
The  company  wa;s  well  organized  and  equipped  and  continued 
till  the  original  members  served  out  their  time  of  enlistment. 
The  organization  was  completed  October  12th,  1848.  In  1851 
the  captain  was  promoted  to  be  colonel  of  the  18th  Regiment, 
Lieut.  Ballard  was  elected  captain  and  served  till  the  company 
went  out  of  service.  An  engineer  corps  was  organized  in  Cold 
Spring  in  1854  under  the  charge  of  Capt.  George  F.  Sherman, 
Regimental  Engineer,  which  was  very  complete  in  its  organiza- 
tion and  equipments.  Capt.  Sherman  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  inspector  general  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Morgan 
and  Sylvester  B.  Truesdell  was  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Sherman 
as  captain  of  the  corps. 

In  1865  a  draft  was  ordered  by  Gov.  Seymour  to  fill  the 
militia  regiments  to  the  minimum  number  required  by  law  and 
there  were  reorganizations  and  companies  in  6th,  7th  and  8th 
Districts,  which  continued  till  the  regimental  organization  was 
disbanded  in  1867,  since  which  time  there  has  been  no  militia 
organization  in  the  county. 


GENERAL  HISTOEY.  223 

April  8th,  1864,  James  Ryder  of  the  18th  Eegiment  was  pro- 
moted by  Gov.  Horatio  Seymour  to  be  brigadier  general  of 
the  7th  Brigade,  and  continued  to  hold  the  office  till  April  8th, 
1875. 

The  Kemble  Guards  were  out  in  the  United  States  service  in 
1863  at  the  call  of  the  IStli  Regiment  and  were  in  service  45 
days. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 


THE  BENCH  AND  BAR  OF  PUTNAM  COUNTY.' 


Hon.  James  Kent. — Henry  B.  Lee.— Ralsaman  C.  Austin. — George  W.  Niven. — 
Frederic  Stone. — Walker  Todd. — Jeremiah  Hine. — Henry  B.  Cowles. — 
Elijah  Yerks. — Howard  H.  White. — Benjamin  Bailey. — John  G.  Miller. — 
Charles  Ga  Nun. —Peter  M.  Jordan.— WiUiam  A.  Dean.— Levi  H.  McCoy.— 
James  D.  Little. — Charles  H.  Slosson. — Samuel  J.  Owen. — Owen  T.  Coffin. — 
William  J.  Blake. — Jackson  O.  Dykman. — George  W.  Horton. — Ambrose 
Ryder.— Edward  Wright. — Charles  H.  Ferris. — Hon.  William  Wood. — 
Seymour  B.  Nelson. — James  Gardiner. — Abram  J.  Miller. — William  H. 
Haldane. — George  E.  Anderson. — Ward  B.  Yeomans. — Frederic  S.  Bar- 
num. — Clayton  Ryder. — Hon.  Hamilton  Fish. — Hon.  Robert  Livingston. 


HON.  JAMES  KENT,  the  famous  lawyer  and  Chancellor 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  was  the  son  of  Moss  Kent 
and  grandson  of  Rev.  Elisha  Kent.  He  was  born  at  Doansburg, 
town  of  Southeast,  Putnam  county,  N.  Y.,  July  31st,  1763. 
When  five  years  old  he  was  placed  in  a  school  at  Norwalk, 
Conn.,  and  lived  with  his  maternal  grandfather,  Rev.  Joseph 
Moss,  with  whom  he  remained  till  1772,  when  he  went  to  reside 
with  an  uncle  at  Pawling,  where  he  learned  the  rudiments  of 
Latin.  In  May,  1773,  he  went  to  a  Latin  school  in  Danbury, 
and  entered  Yale  College  in  September,  1777.  In  after  years 
he  often  mentioned  the  delight  he  experienced  on  his  periodical 
returns  from  school,  in  rambling  with  his  brother  among  the 
wild  scenery  of  his  native  hills  and  valleys. 

In  July,  1779,  in  consequence  of  the  invasion  of  New  Haven 
by  the  British  troops,  the  college  was  broken  up  and  the  stu- 
dents dispersed.  At  this  time  he  met  with  a  copy  of  Black- 
stone's  Commentaries,  which  so  excited  his  admiration  that  he 
resolved  to  be  a  lawyer.  In  September,  1781,  he  graduated 
from  college  and  going  to  Poughkeepsie  commenced  the  study 

'  The  sketches  of  the  deceased  members  of  the  Putnam  County  Bar  in  this, 
chapter  were  prepared  by  Hon.  Ambrose  Ryder. 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  925 

of  law  under  Egbert  Benson,  who  was  afterward  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as 
an  attorney,  in  January.  1785.  He  then  returned  to  his  native 
place  with  the  intention  of  commencing  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession there,  but  that  secluded  place  furnished  no  proper  field 
for  his  abilities  and  talents,  and  he  shortly  returned  to  Poiigli- 
keepsie. 

In  April,  1787,  he  was  admitted  a  counsellor  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  In  politics  he  belonged  to  the  Federal  party,  and  was 
the  intimate  friend  of  Jay  and  Hamilton.  In  April,  1790,  he 
was  elected  memben  of  Assembly  for  Dutchess  County,  and 
again  in  1792.  At  the  urgent  request  of  his  friends  he  removed 
to  New  Yotk  in  April,  1795,  finding  there  a  greater  scope  for 
the  exercise  of  his  talents.  In  December,  he  was  appointed 
professor  of  law  in  Columbia  College,  and  delivered  a  course 
of  lectures  there.  The  trustees  of  the  college  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  and  he  received 
similar  honors  from  Harvard  and  Dartmouth.  In  February, 
1798,  he  was  appointed  a  Master  in  Chancery,  and  in  the  same 
year  was  elected  member  of  Legislature  for  New  York.  In 
March,  1797,  he  was  appointed  recorder  of  the  city,  and  in 
1786  received  the  appointment  of  junior  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  returned  to  Poughkeepsie,  but  in  the  following 
year  removed  to  Albany,  where  he  resided  till  1823. 

In  1800,  Judge  Kent  and  Judge  Radcliffe  were  appointed  to 
revise  the  statutes  of  the  State,  and  in  1802  they  were  published 
in  two  volumes.  In  July,  1804,  he  was  appointed  chief  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  and  presided  till  1814.  In  1814,  he  was 
appointed  Chancellor,  and  the  various  and  learned  decisions  by 
him  have  given  a  lasting  honor  to  his  name.  July  31st,  1823, 
having  attained  the  age  of  sixty,  which  was  the  constitutional 
limit  for  the  tenure  of  the  office,  he  retired  from  court  after 
hearing  and  deciding  every  case  brought  before  him.  It  was  at 
this  time  that  he  revisited  his  native  place,  and  was  a  boy  again 
when  he  entered  the  house  where  he  was  born. 

In  November,  1826,  appeared  the  first  volume  of  his  "  Com- 
mentaries on  American  Law."  The  second  volume  appeared  in 
November,  1827,  the  third  in  1828,  and  the  fonrth  in  1830.  It 
is  enough  to  say  of  this  great  work,  that  until  the  present  sys- 
tem of  things  shall  be  succeeded  either  by  a  higher  law  or  utter 
lawlessness,  "  Kent's  Commentaries  "  must  be  the  source  from 

15 


326  HISTOEY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

which  the  student  will  derive  his  first  knowledge  of  the  princi- 
ples of  law,  and  what  Blackstone  was  to  England,  Chancellor 
Kent  has  been  to  America. 

During  the  remainder  of  his  life  Chancellor  Kent  resided  in 
New  York  and  died  there  at  his  residence,  No.  20  Union  Square, 
on  the  evening  of  December  12th,  1847,  having  reached  his  85th 
year.  His  mortal  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at 
Fishkill,  Dutchess  county,  by  the  grave  of  his  only  son. 

A  full  account  of  his  family  will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of 
the  descendants  of  Rev.  Elisha  Kent,  in  another  portion  of  this 
work.  It  is  no  injustice  to  the  dead,  nor  disparagement  to 
the  living,  to  say  that  James  Kent  was  the  most  prominent 
man  born  within  the  limits  of  Putnam  county,  and  of  his  great- 
ness and  fame  the  county  and  his  native  town  may  well  be 
proud. 

Henry  Bikd  Lee  was  born  in  Greene  county,  about  the 
year  1781.  He  practiced  law  in  Patterson,  but  for  how  many 
years,  we  have  been  unable  to  learn.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Assembly  in  1815,  and  at  the  general  election  held  in  April, 
1816,  he  was  elected  to  Congress.  He  died  September  16th,  1816. 
He  was  unmarried. 

Ralsaman  C.  Austin  practiced  law  at  Carmel  from  about 
the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  county  in  1812  until  about 
1817  when  he  removed  to  Peekskill,  where  he  continued  in 
practice  for  some  years,  and  afterward  became  a  clerk  in  one  of 
the  departments  of  the  government  at  Washington,  where  he 
remained  until  his  death,  in  1843.  He  married  a  Miss  Margaret 
Diven,  of  Peekskill,  by  whom  he  had  three  daughters.  He 
was  surrogate  of  Putnam  county  from  April  2d,  1813,  to  Feb- 
ruary 28th,  1815. 

George  W.  Niven  practiced  law  at  Carmel  from  1812  to 
1815,  a  part  of  the  time  in  partnership  with  Walker  Todd.  He 
removed  to  Poughkeepsie  and  from  there  to  New  York.  The 
date  of  his  death  has  not  been  ascertained.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Johnston  of  Carmel. 

Frederic  Stone,  son  of  Darius  and  Anna  (Hill)  Stone,  was 
born  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  March  21st,  1785.  He  received  his 
education  at  the  old  academy  in  Patterson,  N.  Y.,  under  the 
Rev.  Mr.  MacNeece,  a  distinguished  classical  scholar  and  a 
graduate  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  After  he  had  been  fitted 
to  enter  the  sophomore  class  in  Yale  College  his  health  became 


-^  /^z^ 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  227 

impaired  and  the  idea  of  a  college  education  was  reluctantly- 
abandoned. 

He  began  the  study  of  the  law  with  Harvy  Swift  of  Beekman, 
completed  his  legal  studies  in  the  office  of  General  Brush  of 
Poughkeepsie,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1812.     April 
16th,   1816,    he  was  appointed  Master  in  Chancery  by  G-ov. 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins.     In  October,  1820,  he  married  Margaret 
E.  Howland,  daughter  of  William  Howland  and  niece  of  Dr. 
Howland  of  Patterson.     February  27th,  1821,  he  was  appointed 
by  DeWitt  Clinton,  district  attorney  of  Putnam  county,  and 
continued  in   that   office   until  February  25th,  1829,  when  he 
was  appointed  by  Martin  Van  Buren,  then  governor  of  New 
York,  by  whom  he  was  examined  when  admitted  to  the  Bar, 
first  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Putnam  county. 
His   connection  with   the  bench   was    terminated  voluntarily 
April  27th,  1833,  in  order  to  return  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession.    He  was  again  appointed  district  attorney  in  1837,  this 
time  by  Governor  William  L.  Marcy,  and  held  the  office  for  the 
ensuing  ten  years.      It  was  during  this  time  that  Denny  was 
convicted  of  murder  and  hanged  in   the  Court  House  yard  at 
Carmel,    being   the   only   criminal  ever   executed  in    Putnam 
county. 

In  1842  Judge  Stone  was  a  candidate  for  State  Senator,  but 
was  defeated  in  the  convention  by  one  vote,  Abraham  Bockee 
of  Dutchess  county,  receiving  the  nomination.  In  1843  he  re- 
ceived the  regular  democratic  nomination  for  the  Assembly  but 
was  defeated  by  an  independent  candidate  from  the  western 
part  of  the  county. 

In  November,  1850,  he  was  elected  district  attorney  and  held 
the  office  for  the  next  three  years,  being  succeeded  by  Charles 
Ga  Nun.  Judge  Stone  continued  in  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Pat- 
terson, December  2d,  1857.  His  widow  survived  him  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  his  three  daughters,  Mary  A.  Stone, 
Jane  C.  Stone  and  Frances  E.  Barnum,  widow  of  the  late  Le 
Kay  Barnum,  are  still  living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Patterson. 

Perhaps  at  the  time  of  his  death  no  man  in  the  county  was 
more  o-enerally  known  to  the  people  than  he.  He  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Bar  since  the  formation  of  the  county  and  from 
that  time  to  the  time  of  his  death  had  been  in  active  legal  prac- 
tice.    The  difficult  and  responsible  duties  appertaining  to  the 


228  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

offices  of  county  judge  and  district  attorney  were  satisfactorily 
discharged.  Many  important  criminal  trials  were  successfully 
conducted  by  him. 

As  a  lawyer  Judge  Stone  was  sound,  faithful  and  honest.  No 
client,  we  think,  ever  had  occasion  to  complain  of  his  want  of 
vigilance  or  perseverance.  He  was  the  contemporary  of  Todd, 
Hine,  Cowles,  Swift,  Cleveland  and  Nelson,  and  always  believed 
that  these  distinguished  men  were  superior  to  the  generation 
that  succeeded  them. 

In  politics  Judge  Stone  was  a  democrat.  His  political  course 
was  always  regular  and  straightforward.  He  died  a  member  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  It  was  his  fortune  to  move 
calmly  and  quietly  through  life  and  his  record  is  clean  and 
pure. 

Walker  Todd  was  born  in  New  Milford,  Conn.,  about  the 
year  1790.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1810  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  the  law  at  Carmel  in  1813,  in  X->artner- 
ship  with  George  W.  Niven  until  Mr.  Niven  removed  from  the 
county  in  1815.  Mr.  Todd  held  the  office  of  district  attorney 
from  June,  1818,  to  February,  1821.  He  held  the  office  of  sur- 
rogate from  March,  1819,  to  Februarj^,  1821,  and  from  January, 
1833,  to  September  30th,  1839.  He  was  appointed  an  inspector 
of  the  State  prison  at  Sing  Sing  in  1832  and  held  the  office  until 
1840.  In  November,  1827,  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  this 
State  for  the  term  of  four  years,  and  served  for  the  full  term. 
In  November,  ]836,  he  was  the  regular  democratic  candidate  for 
Congress  in  the  district  compi'ised  of  Westchester  and  Putnam 
counties,  but  was  defeated  by  Grouverneur  Kemble  who  ran  as 
a  stump  candidate.  Mr.  Todd  continued  the  practice  of  the  law 
at  Carmel  until  near  the  time  of  his  death,  when  he  received  a 
stroke  of  paralysis  which  terminated  his  active  career.  He  died 
in  August,  1840.  He  married  Sarah  Ann  Smith,  by  whom  he 
had  a  large  family  of  children. 

Jeremiah  Hine,  son  of  Charles  Hine,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Southeast,  January  26th,  1795.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College 
in  the  class  of  1815,  and  at  once  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law.  In  1820  he  commenced  practice  at  Carmel  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  that  year  formed  a  partnership  with  Henry  B.  Cowles, 
which  continued  until  Mr.  Cowles  removed  to  the  city  of  New 
York  in  1834.  Mr.  Hine  continued  in  practice  at  Carmel  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  August  24th,  1838.     He  held  the  office 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  229 

of  surrogate  of  Putnam  county  from  March  28th,  1822,  to  Jan- 
Tiary  31st,  1833.  He  was  district  attorney  from  September  8th, 
1829,  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  married  Miss  Zillah  Cole,  by 
whom  he  had  one  son,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Henry  B.  Cowles,  .son  of  Elias  and  Lydia  (Adams)  Cowles, 
was  born  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  March  18fch,  1798.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  Andrew  Adams,  was  a  member  of  the  Continental 
Congress  in  1778,  and  was  chief  justice  of  the  Superior  Court 
of  Connecticut  from  1793  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  Cowles  removed  to  Rhinebeck,  Dutchess 
county,  N.  Y.,  about  the  year  1804.  Mr.  Cowles  graduated  at 
Union  College  in  1816,  and  while  in  college  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society.  He  studied  law  under 
Judge  Reeves  of  Litchfield,  and  after  practicing  for  a  few 
months  at  Beekman,  in  Dutchess  county,  removed  to  Carmel  in 
1820,  where  he  formed  a  i)artnership  with  Jeremiah  Hine  under 
the  firm  name  of  Cowles  &  Hine,  and  .continued  in  practice 
there  until  the  year  1834,  when  he  opened  an  office  in  New  York 
city  where  he  continued  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
until  1860.  Prom  that  time  he  undertook  no  new  cases  and 
about  the  year  1865  retired  from  law  practice  entirely.  In  1870 
he  removed  to  Farmington,  Conn.,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death  which  occurred  in  New  York  while  on  a  tempo- 
rary visit,  May  17th,  1873. 

While  residing  in  Putnam  county  Mr.  Cowles  was  for  three 
consecutive  years  elected  to  the  Assembly,  serving  in  the  ses- 
sions of  1826,  1827  and  1828.  While  in  the  Legislature  he  took 
an  active  and  efficient  part  in  the  settlement  of  the  Astor  claim, 
securing  the  passage  of  the  several  acts  under  which  the  State 
of  New  York  assumed  the  payment  to  John  Jacob  Astor  of 
$450,000  in  satisfaction  of  his  claim  as  purchaser,  to  the  lands 
in  Putnam  county  belonging  to  the  heirs  of  Roger  Morris,  which 
were  confiscated  by  the  State,  and  to  which  titles  had  been  given 
by  the  State  through  deeds  executed  by  commissioners  of  for- 
feiture. In  the  celebrated  suits  brought  to  establish  Mr.  Astor' s 
claim,  Mr.  Cowles  was  one  of  the  counsel  on  the  part  of  the 
State.  In  1828  Mr.  Cowles  was  elected  to  Congress  from  the 
District  composed  of  Westchester  and  Putnam  counties.  He 
was  never  married. 

Elijah  Yerks,  son  of  William  Yerks,  was  born  in  Mount 
Pleasant,  Westchester  county,  about  the  year  1806.    After  being 


230  HISTORY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

admitted  to  the  Bar,  he  commenced  practice  in  Carmel  in  1839, 
and  remained  in  practice  there  until  1851,  when  he  removed  to 
Tarrytown,  where  he  continued  in  practice  until  his  death 
which  occurred  in  1864.  In  1847  he  was  the  regular  democratic 
candidate  for  county  judge  of  Putnam  county.  He  was  never 
married. 

Howard  Hart  White,  son  of  Ebenezer  B.  White,  was  born 
in  Banbury,  Connecticut,  in  1810.  He  entered  Yale  College 
but  did  not  graduate.  He  attended  the  Yale  Law  School  dur- 
ing the  years  1829  and  1830,  and  studied  law  in  New  York  city 
in  the  office  of  Charles  O'Connor.  After  his  admission  to  the 
Bar  he  practiced  law  for  several  years,  occupying  the  same 
office  with  Henry  B.  Cowles,  through  whose  advice  he  came  to 
Carmel,  where  he  opened  a  law  office  in  September,  1839.  He 
was  appointed  surrogate  of  Putnam  county  September  30th, 
1839,  and  held  the  office  until  April  2d,  1840,  when  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  resign.  He  died  in  Danbury,  April 
4th,  1840,  of  consumption.  He  married  Emma  Hart,  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  both  of  whom  died  before 
arriving  at  maturity. 

Benjamin  Bailey,  son  of  Benjamin  Bailey,  was  born  in 
Carmel  in  1813.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1842  and  im- 
mediately thereafter  commenced  the  practice  uf  the  law  in 
Carmel,  where  he  remained  until  the  j'^ear  1853,  when  he  opened 
an  office  in  New  York  city.  He  continued  in  practice  in  New 
York  until  1855,  when  he  resumed  his  practice  in  Carmel  and 
remained  in  practice  there  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  July  13th,  1872. 

Mr.  Bailey  represented  Putnam  county  in  the  Assembly  in 
the  years  1845,  1846  and  1856.  In  1848  he  was  the  candidate 
of  the  Barnburner  wing  of  the  democratic  party  for  representa- 
tive in  Congress  in  the  district  composed  of  Dutchess  and 
Putnam  counties. 

As  a  lawyer  he  was  often  called  to  the  defense  in  criminal 
cases.  The  most  noted  case  in  which  he  was  engaged  was  that 
of  George  Denny,  who  was  tried  for  the  murder  of  Abraham 
Wanzer,  in  1843.  Denny  was  tried  twice,  the  jury  failing  to 
agree  upon  the  first  trial,  but  upon  the  second  he  was  found 
guilty  and  afterward  executed.  Mr.  Bailey  tried  the  case  fqr 
the  defendant  upon  both  occasions  and  was  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  save  him. 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  231 

Mr.  Bailey  married  Calista  Wilson  and  left  two  sons  surviv- 
ing him.  The  eldest,  Elbert  T.,  resides  at  Mount  Kisco,  and 
has  been  president  of  the  village.  The  youngest,  William  F., 
is  a  lawyer  residing  at  Ean  Claire,  Wisconsin. 

John  Grifpen  Miller,  son '  of  Abraham  and  Elizabeth 
(Griffen)  Miller,  was  born  at  Yorktown,  Westchester  county, 
New  York,  December  23d,  1814.  While  engaged  in  school 
teaching  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  at  first  with  Ben- 
jamin Bailey  and  afterward  at  Somers  with  Lee  &  Briggs,  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  1846.  In  the  spring  of  1847  he 
moved  with  his  family  to  Carmel  where  he  opened  a  law  office  and 
contini^ed  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession  until  near  the 
time  of  his  death  which  occurred  March  31st,  1885. 

He  twice  held -the  office  of  district  attorney,  the  first  time 
by  appointment  of  the  governor  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
the  resignation  of  Charles  Ga  Nun,  being  appointed  April 
10th,  1850,  and  holding  the  office  until  January  1st,  1851;  and 
the  second  time  by  election  in  November,  1853,  for  the  term  of 
three  years.  He  was  appointed  assessor  of  internal  revenue  for 
the  10th  District  of  New  York,  comprising  the  counties  of 
Westchester,  Putnam  and  Rockland,  by  President  Grant,  on 
the  15th  of  April,  1869,  and  held  the  office  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Miller  was  twice  married.  His  first  'wife,  Phebe  P., 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Patience  Carpenter,  to  whom  he  was 
married  September  20ih,  1837,  died  May  8th,  1856.  By  her  he 
had  seven  children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  a  daughter  survive 
him.  His  eldest  son,  William  I.,  formerly  deputy  county  clerk 
of  Putnam  county,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three.  His  second 
son,  Henry  F.,  is  a  dental  surgeon  residing  in  Carmel.  His  third 
son,  Abram  J.,  is  a  lawyer  and  present  district  attorney  of  Put- 
nam county,  residing  in  Brewster.  His  fourth  son,  Alonzo  B., 
is  a  dental  surgeon  residing  in  New  York  city.  His  daughter, 
Phebe  P.,  is  the  wife  of  James  A.  Foshay,  the  present  school 
commissioner  of  Putnam  county. 

Mr.  Miller's  second  wife,  Emily  A.  Cutts,  of  Kittery,  Maine, 
to  whom  he  was  married  September  25th,  1860,  and  by  whom 
he  has  one  daughter,  Anna  C,  survives  him. 

Charles  Ga  Nun,  son  of  Edward  Ga  Nun,  was  born  in 
North  Salem  in  1817.  He  prepared  for  college  at  the  North 
Salem  and  Peekskill  Academies,  and  graduated  at  Williams 
College  in  1839.     He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Ambrose  L. 


232  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COTJNTY. 

Jordan  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1842.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  opened  a  law  office  at  Carmel  and  remained  in 
practice  there  until  1858,  when  he  removed  to  New  York  city, 
where  he  continued  in  law  jjractice  until  his  death  which  oc- 
curred in  November,  1862.  From  the  year  1848  Peter  M.  Jordan, 
late  of  Hudson,  was  associated  with  him.  Mr.  Ga  Nun's  attain- 
ments as  a  lawyer  were  so  well  recognized  that  his  office  was  a 
favorite  school  for  law  students,  and  many  young  men  received 
their  legal  education  under  his  guidance. 

Mr.  Ga  Nun  was  elected  district  attorney  in  1847,  but  resigned 
the  office  in  1850.  He  was  the  candidate  of  the  Hunker  wing 
of  the  democratic  party  for  representative  in  Congress  in  1848, 
and  in  1855,  was  a  candidate  for  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
for  the  Second  Judicial  District.  Mr.  Ga  Nun  was  never 
married. 

Peter  M.  Jordan  was  born  at  Claverack,  Columbia  county. 
New  York,  October  21st,  1818.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Dr. 
Abram  Jordan,  an  eminent  physician  of  that  place.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  class  of  1838  of  Union  College,  but  did  not  gradu- 
ate. He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Ambrose  L. 
Jordan,  a  man  of  great  ability,  and  afterward  attorney  general 
of  the  State,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  about  the  year  1842* 
After  practicing  his  profession  for  a  few  years  in  Hudson  he  re- 
moved to  Carmel  in  1848,  where  he  became  associated  with 
Charles  Ga  Nun,  remaining  with  him  at  Carmel  until  1858,  when 
they  established  an  office  in  New  York  city  and  continued  in 
practice  there  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Ga  Nun  in  1862.  After 
that  time  Mr.  Jordan  continued  at  Hudson  until  his  death 
which  occurred  February  1st,  1886.  Mr.  Jordan  was  elected 
district  attorney  of  Putnam  county  in  November,  1856,  and  held 
the  office  until  he  removed  to  New  York.  He  married  Miss  Jane 
Flaherty  who  survives  him. 

William  A.  Dean,  son  of  Eichard  Dean,  was  born  in  Carmel, 
January  4th,  1819.  He  was  educated  at  private  schools  and  at 
the  Peekskill  Academy.  He  studied  law  with  Ward  &  Lock- 
wood  at  Sing  Sing,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1845.  Be 
commenced  practice  at  Carmel  immediately  after  his  admission 
and  remained  in  practice  at  that  place  until  the  year  1853,  when 
he  removed  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  continued  to 
practice  until  his  death  which  occurred  July  12th,  1854.  While 
at  Carmel  he  was  twice  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  holding  the 


GJiNEKAL   HISTORY.  233 

office  from  April,  1847,  uutil  he  removed  from  the  county.  He 
was  never  married. 

Levi  H.  McCoy  was  born  January  8th,  1822,  at  Wantage, 
Sussex  county,  New  Jersey.  He  studied  law  at  Goshen  and  at 
Newburgh  with  Judge  Monell  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 

1848.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  at  Cold  Spring  in 

1849,  and  continued  in  active  practice  until  his  death  which 
occurred  suddenly  January  29th,  1868.  In  1860,  he  opened  an 
office  in  New  York  city,  practicing  in  both  places  at  that  time. 
In  1858,  he  was  elected  district  attorney  of  Pumam  county,  hold- 
ing the  office  for  the  term  of  three  years.  December  5th,  1852, 
he  married  Angeline  Phillips  of  Cold  Spring,  by  whom  he  had 
four  sons. 

James  Dynes  Little  was  born  in  New  York  city,  May 
15th,  1832.  In  his  young  days  he  learned  the  printer's  trade, 
and  in  1849,  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  he  came  to  Carmel 
and  assumed  the  editorial  and  general  management  of  the 
"  Putnam  Democrat."  In  1852  he  was  elected  a  justice  of  the 
peace  and  held  the  office  until  January,  1857,  when  he  was 
appointed  an  inspector  in  the  New  York  Custom  House.  This 
position  he  resigned  for  that  of  private  secretary  to  Collector 
Schell.  In  July,  1861,  having  resigned  his  position  in  New 
York,  he  went  to  the  West,  and  having  previously  devoted  his 
spare  time  to  the  study  of  the  law  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  Missouri,  and  in  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  Ex- 
Governor  Beebe,  opened  a  law  office  in  Kansas  City.  But  the 
Civil  War  destroyed  business  and  the  office  was  soon  closed. 
Mr.  Little  returned  East  and  in  December,  1861,  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar  of  this  State.  In  April,  1862,  he  opened  a  law  office 
in  Carmel  and  continued  in  active  practice  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  Mr.  Little  established  the  "Putnam  County  Courier " 
and  was  its  editor  during  all  his  residence  in  the  county,  rais- 
ing it  to  a  high  state  of  prosperity. 

In  1864  and  again  in  1867  he  was  elected  district  attorney  of 
the  county,  holding  the  office  ^or  six  years. 

Mr.  Little  married.  August  28th,  1854,  Mary  Virginia, 
daughter  of  Elder  Gilbert  Beebe  of  Middletown,  N.  Y.  Five 
daughters  and  three  sons  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  all  ex- 
cept the  eldest  son  and  youngest  daughter,  survive. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  Mr.  Little  was  prostrated  by  a  severe  at- 


234  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

tack  of  pneumonia  from  which  he  never  fully  recovered.  He 
died  August  24th,  1883. 

Chaeles  Henry  Slosson,  son  of  Augustus  D.  Slosson,  was 
born  in  North  Salem,  Westchester  county,  New  York,  Feb- 
ruary 28th,  1842.  He  entered  Yale  College  in  the  class  which 
graduated  in  1863,  but  after  remaining  in  college  two  years  was 
obliged  to  leave  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  studied  law  at 
White  Plains,  with  Close  &  Robertson,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  in  June,  1865.  He  immediately  commenced  practice  at 
Brewster,  and  remained  in  practice  at  that  place  until  August, 
1867,  when  he  was  prostrated  with  pneumonia,  leaving  him 
very  weak  and  ending  in  quick  consumption,  of  which  he  died 
June  22d,  1868.  September  6ch,  1866,  he  married  Miss  Emily 
Teller,  daughter  of  Dr.  Harrison  Teller  of  Brooklyn,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son,  Harrison  Teller  Slosson,  born' in  September, 
1867,  now  a  student  in  Columbia  College. 

Samul  J.  Owen  was  born  in  Putnam  Valley  in  1843.  After 
being  admitted  to  the  Bar,  he  practiced  law  at  Cold  Spring  un- 
til his  death,  which  occurred  October  21st,  1877.  He  was  dis- 
trict attorney  for  two  terms,  holding  the  office  for  six  years, 
commencing  January  Ist,  1871.  He  married  Isabella  E.,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Rusk,  by  whom  he  had  several  children.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  18th  Regiment  of  New  York  Volunteers,  in 
the  suppression  of  the  rebellion. 

The  following  have  retired  from  practice  or  removed  from 
the  county: 

Owen  Tristram  Coffin,  son  of  Robert  Coffin,  was  born  in 
Washington,  Dutchess  county,  July  17th,  1815.  He  graduated 
at  Union  College  in  1837;  studied  law  with  Judge  Rufus  W. 
Peckham  at  Albany;  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1840;  and  com- 
menced practice  at  Carmel,  remaining  there  about  two  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Poughkeepsie.  He  remained  in  practice 
at  Poughkeepsie  until  1851,  when  he  removed  to  Peekskill, 
Westchester  county,  where  he  has  resided  to  the  present  time. 
In  November,  1870,  he  was  elected  surrogate  of  Westchester 
county  and  still  holds  the  office.  He  has  been  twice  married. 
His  first  wife  was  Belinda  E.  Maison,  and  his  second,  Harriette 
Barlow. 

William  J.  Bl.ake  was  born  July  22d,  1817,  at  the  Blake 
homestead,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  of   Montgomery, 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  235 

Orange  county,  New  York.  He  is  a  son  of  Hon.  Edward  and 
Chloe  Belknap  Blake,  and  with  his  twin  brother,  David  A.,  is 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  His  ancestors 
were  English  on  his  paternal  and  maternal  side.  The  ancestral 
line  is  traceable  back  to  Robert  Blake,  a  member  of  the  Long 
Parliament,  which  resisted  the  usurpation  and  tyranny  of  King 
Charles  I.  until  civil  war  was  the  result.  He  was  appointed  a 
general  in  the  Parliamentary  array  and  resigned  his  seat  at  the 
beginning  of  the  struggle  with  the  King  in  1642.  In  1649,  he 
was  transferred  from  the  land  to  the  naval  forces,  with  the 
title  of  "  General  of  the  Sea."  In  1652,  he  became  chief  ad- 
miral. He  is  regarded  by  all  Englishmen  as  the  "Father  of 
the  British  Navy."  He  was  born  at  Bridgewater,  Somerset- 
shire, England:  and  from  that  family  nest  his  descendants  have 
winged  their  way  to  Scotland,  the  north  of  Ireland,  Canada 
and  the  United  States. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  three  brothers  of 
the  name  of  Blake,  emigrated  from  England  to  this  country. 
One  settled  in  Massachusetts,  one  in  Pennsylvania,  and  one  on 
Long  Island,  who  subsequently  removed  to  Orange  county, 
New  York.  The  latter  was  the  great-grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Tiie  descendants  of  these  three  emigrant 
brothers  are  numerous,  and  may  be  found  in  half  of  the  States 
of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Blake's  mother  was  a  descendant  of  the  Belknap  family, 
English  Puritans  who  emigated  to  Massachusetts,  a  member  of 
which  (who  was  her  father)  subsequently  removed  and  settled  a 
short  distance  north  of  Providence,  in  Rhode  Island. 

After  attending  a  common  school  until  he  was  nearly  fifteen 
years  of  age,  Mr.  Blake  commenced  his  academic  course  at  the 
Montgomery  Academy,  Orange  county,  where  he  remained 
until  April,  1837,  when  he  entered  the  Sophomore  class  of 
Union  College  at  Schenectady,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
June,  1839,  and  in  the  following  September  went  South,  and  for 
one  year  was  a  tutor  in  the  family  of  a  naval  commander.  In 
September,  1840,  he  returned  home  and  commenced  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Charles  Borland,  of  Montgomery. 
In  December,  1843,  he  was  licensed  as  an  attorney  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  at  Rochester.  His  father  told  him  that  if  he  was 
licensed  to  "return  home,  stay  till  spring,  and  look  around  for 
a  place  to  settle."     From  Rochester  he  went  to  New  York  to 


236  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTT. 

visit  relatives,  and  on  his  return  stopped  at  Cold  Spring  (but 
without  a  thought  of  settling  there)  to  visit  a  lady  whom  his 
father  and  mother  had  brought  up  from  girlhood.  Yisiting  a 
Justice's  Court  the  next  day,  in  company  with  a  former  resi- 
dent of  Newburgh,  he  was  retained  to  try  two  causes  in  succes- 
sion, won  both,  and  was  retained  to  try  five  others  during  the 
remainder  of  the  week.  He  concluded  that,  since  there  was 
apparently  "a  sight  of  petty  litigation"  there,  he  might  as 
well  remain  there  the  remainder  of  the  winter  and  begin  the 
practice  of  law,  instead  of  going  home  and  doing  nothing  until 
spring.  He  had  no  office,  nor  a  law  book  with  him,  was  simply 
a  visitor,  and,  with  the  exception  of  those  he  called  on,  a 
stranger  in  the  place.  Even  then  he  had  no  intention  of  set- 
tling there. 

He  went  to  New  York,  bought  a  few  necessary  books,  returned 
to  Cold  Spring,  rented  an  office,  and  hung  out  his  sign.  Before 
spring  came  he  concluded  that  he  might  as  well  remain  there  as 
to  seek  a  location  elsewhere.  In  1846,  Governor  Silas  Wright 
appointed  him  a  master  and  examiner  in  the  Court  of  Chancery. 
In  1848,  when  not  engaged  in  office  business  or  attending  courts, 
he  hastily  gathered  up  materials  for  a  "History  of  Putnam 
County,"  which  he  wrote  during  leisure  hours,  and  published 
it  in  the  winter  of  1849. 

Conscious  that  his  hearing  was  becoming  too  much  impaired 
to  further  prosecute  his  profession  with  any  hope  of  profit  and 
success,  he  closed  his  oflice  in  April,  1850,  and  made  a  tour 
through  Minnesota,  visiting  Stillwater,  St.  Paul  and  the  Crow 
Wing  Indian  Agency,  about  one  hundred  miles  northwest  of 
St.  Paul,  where  he  spent  the  summer,  and  returned  late  in  the 
fall  to  St.  Paul,  where  he  passed  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of 
1851,  he  returned  to  Orange  county.  In  September,  1852,  the 
late  proprietor  of  the  "  Putnam  County  Courier"  sent  him  an 
invitation  to  become  associate  editor  of  the  "Courier."  He 
accepted  and  came  to  Carmel  in  the  above  named  month  and 
year. 

In  1854,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Carmel,  under  Presi- 
dent Pierce's  administration.  June  12th,  1858,  he  founded  the 
"  Putnam  Free  Press,"  the  first  republican  newspaper  estab- 
lished in  Putnam  county,  edited  and  published  it  until  October 
17th,  1868,  when  he  sold  it  to  A.  J.  Hicks.  February  14th, 
1880,  a  member  of  his  family  purchased  the  office  and  paper 


/C^^^oe  Oi-^--^  y 


>^ 


'^  . 


GENERAL  HISTOBY.  337 

from  Mr.  Hicks,  and  changed  the  name  of  the  paper  from 
"Gleneida  Monitor,"  to  "Putnam  County  Republican."  He 
again  became  its  political  and  literary  editor,  and  Ida  M.,  his 
daughter,  its  publisher  and  proprietor,  and  junior  editor. 

He  married  Miss  Emelinda  Minor,  daughter  of  the  late  Charles 
Minor,  of  Carmel,  and  has  three  daughters. 

On  an  adjoining  page  will  be  found  Mr.  Blake's  portrait, 
taken  at  the  age  of  thirtj^-two  years. 

Hon.  Jackson  O.  Dykman  was  born  in  the  town  of  Patter- 
son in  Putnam  county.  His  great-grandfather,  Joseph  Dykman, 
settled  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Southeast,  in  Putnam  county, 
and  beeame  a  captain  in  the  Continental  Army  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War. 

His  early  life  was  the  uneventful  career  of  a  boy  in  the  county 
attending  the  common  school  of  the  neighborhood  and  working 
on  a  farm.  In  this  manner  he  obtained  sufficient  education  to 
enable  him  to  teach  a  common  school  at  a  very  early  age.  He 
pursued  this  occupation  until  he  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law  in  the  office  of  the  Hon.  William  Nelson  then  a  prominent 
lawyer  at  Peekskill,  Westchester  county,  who  manifested  a 
lively  interest  in  his  advancement  and  gave  him  generous  aid 
and  assistance. 

After  his  admission  to  the  Bar  he  settled  in  Cold  Spring,  Put- 
nam county,  where  he  was  shortly  after  elected  to  the  office  of 
school  commissioner,  and  afterward  to  the  office  of  district  at- 
torney of  the  county. 

In  the  spring  of  1866  ilr.  Dykman  removed  to  White  Plains, 
in  Westchester  county,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  he  was  elected  by  a  very  handsome  ma- 
jority to  the  office  of  district  attorney  of  Westchester  county, 
then  a  very  responsible  position,  which  he  filled  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  people.  He  particularly  distinguished  him- 
self by  the  energy,  skill  and  success  with  which  he  prosecuted 
the  famous  Buckhout  murder  case,  one  of  the  celebrated  cases 
in  the  history  of  the  county. 

In  the  fall  of  1875  Mr.  Dykman  was  elected  to  the  high  office 
of  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  New  York  for 
the  Second  Judicial  District  by  a  union  of  both  political  par- 
ties. He  was  nominated  and  supported  as  the  regular  candidate 
of  the  republican  party  and  elected  by  the  people  by  a  majority 
exceeding  ten  thousand. 


238  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

That  nomination  made  by  a  party  with  which  he  had  never 
acted  was  a  splendid  tribute  to  his  ability,  and  the  result  has^ 
shown  that  the  confidence  of  the  people  was  not  misplaced. 
In  the  performance  of  his  Judicial  duties  Judge  Dykman  is 
ever  patient,  affable  and  courteous.  He  is  kind  and  obliging  to 
the  members  of  the  bar,  especially  to  the  younger  lawyers. 

Judge  Dykman  has  been  a  member  of  the  general  term  of  the 
Supreme  Court  from  the  time  he  took  his  seat  on  the  bench, 
and  his  opinions  in  that  court  in  the  numerous  cases  on  appeal 
evince  laborious  research,  sound  Judgment  and  discretion,  and 
absolute  fairness  and  impartiality,  and  demonstrate  the  pro- 
priety of  his  elevation  to  the  high  Judicial  position  he  occupies. 
At  the  circuit  for  the  trial  of  cases  he  is  a  favorite  with  both 
lawyers  and  suitors  for  his  patience  and  impartiality.  He 
manifests  great  love  for  Justice  and  right  and  deep  abhorrence 
for  wrong  and  oppression. 

Judge  Dykman  is  emphatically  a  man  of  the  people,  with 
whom  he  has  always  mingled  freely  and  sympathized  fully,  and 
whose  interests  he  has  ever  been  ready  to  maintain  and  defend; 
and  he  listens  with  willingness  to  the  petitions  and  complaints 
of  all,  and  the  people  love  him  and  place  reliance  upon  him. 
He  is  a  man  of  simple  habits  and  modest  deportment,  but  studi- 
ously observes  the  quality  of  amenity  and  propriety,  and  treats 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  with  great  consideration  and 
politeness.  In  many  ways  he  is  an  illustration  of  what  may  be 
accomplished  under  our  Republican  institutions  where  the 
highest  positions  are  within  the  grasp  of  all.  By  energy  and 
perseverance  he  has  risen  to  a  high  position  without  the  aid  of 
wealth  or  influence.  The  people  have  found  him  a  man  on  whom 
they  could  rely  and  have  accordingly  bestowed  on  him  their 
confidence  and  raised  him  to  eminence,  and  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  he  has  fulfilled  all  their  expectations.  There  never 
was  a  stain  on  his  private  character  nor  on  his  public  record, 
and  the  breath  of  suspicion  has  never  reached  him. 

In  his  domestic  and  private  life  he  has  been  exemplary  and 
fortunate.  He  was  early  married  to  Miss  Emily  L.  Trowbridge,  of 
Peekskill,  a  descendant  of  the  New  Haven  family  of  that  name, 
a  most  excellent  and  domestic  lady  who  aided  and  encouraged 
him  in  all  his  struggles,  and  he  nevsr  hesitated  to  declare  that 
he  owed  his  success  and  advancement  to  her  untiring  energy 
and  zeal,  her  wise  counsel  and  advice,  and  her  laudable  ambi. 


■Y\£\Aa 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  239 

tion.  In  many  dark  days  she  showed  him  the  silver  lining  of 
the  dark  cloud  and  gave  him  new  hope  and  energy.  She  still 
lives  to  share  his  honors  and  his  prosperity  as  she  would  his 
adversity,  a  noble  example  of  a  faithful  wife,  a  devoted 
mother  and  a  benevolent  Christian  woman. 

They  have  two  sons,  both  of  whom  are  lawyers.  The  elder, 
William  N.  Dykman,  married  Miss  Bell  Annan,  and  is  prac- 
ticing his  profession  very  successfully  in  Brooklyn.  The 
younger,  Henry  T.  Dykman,  married  Miss  Ella  B.  Clyne,  of 
Dutchess  county,  and  is  practicing  law  in  White  Plains,  where 
he  has  accumulated  a  very  good  practice. 

Such  is  thti  Honorable  Jackson  O.  Dykman,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  and  his  example  may  well  be  imitated  by  the  young 
men  of  the  county. 

He  is  a  democrat  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  term,  but  not 
a  partisan,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

George  William  Hokton,  son  of  Morgan  Horton,  was  born 
in  Southeast,  January  21st,  1857.  He  graduated  at  the  State 
Normal  School,  Albany,  in  1875.  He  studied  law  with  Close  & 
Robertson  at  White  Plains,  and  graduated  at  the  jSTew  York 
University  Law  School  in  1878,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  He 
practiced  law  in  New  York  city  and  at  Brewster,  in  Putnam 
county.     He  is  nor  at  present  in  active  practice. 

The  following  are  at  the  present  time  in  practice  in  Putnam 
county: 

Ambrose  Ryder.  Among  the  members  of  the  legal  profes- 
sion, a  prominent  place  must  be  given  to  Hon.  Ambrose  Rj^der, 
who  has  been  for  many  years  closely  identified  with  its  in- 
terests and  is  at  the  present  time  the  oldest  practicing  lawyer 
in  the  county. 

Judge  Ryder  was  born  in  Southeast,  on  the  old  family  home- 
stead near  Peach  Pond,  March  5th,  1826;  being  the  eldest 
child  of  Stephen  and  Betsy  (Nichols)  Ryder;  a  more  extended 
account  of  whom  will  be  found  in  the  article  on  the  "Ryder 
family,"  in  another  portion  of  this  work.  He  was  prepared 
for  college  at  the  North  Salem  Academj^  then  under  the  care 
of  Prof.  John  F.  Jenkins.  At  this  institution  he  was  a  fellow 
pupil  of  Gen.  Darius  N.  Couch,  and  D.  0.  Mills,  the  noted 
millionaire.  He  entered  Williams  College  and  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1846.     After  leaving  college  Judge  Ryder 


240  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Studied  law  in  the  office  of  Charles  Ga  Nun,  Esq.,  of  Carmel, 
and  continued  it  with  Henry  B.  Cowles.  Having  been  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1849,  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
the  village  of  Carmel,  where  he  has  continued  it  till  the  present 
time.  In  the  fall  of  1851  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county 
judge  and  was  twice  re-elected,  holding  the  position  for  a  period 
of  twelve  years.  In  February,  1878,  Judge  Ryder  was  ap- 
pointed county  treastirer,  to  fill  a  vacancy  occasioned  by  the 
death  of  Mr.  John  Cornish.  In  1882,  he  was  elected  supervisor 
of  Carmel  and  in  the  campaign  of  1868,  he  was  the  republican 
candidate  for  the  position  of  presidential  elector.  From  the 
founding  of  the  Putnam  County  Bank,  he  has  been  closely 
connected  with  its  interests,  and  has  held  the  offices  of  director, 
cashier,  vice-president,  and  president,  in  which  last  position  he 
still  remains. 

Judge  Ryder  was  married,  October  22d,  1849,  to  Miss  Mary 
Miranda,  daughter  of  Rev.  Shaler  J.  and  Catharine  Hilly er. 
The  children  of  this  marriage  are  Hillyer,  the  present  treasurer 
of  Putnam  county;  Clayton,  a  practicing  lawyer  in  Carmel; 
Mary  Grace,  and  Stephen.  All  the  sons  are  graduates  of 
Cornell  University.     Mrs.  Ryder  died  April  23d,  1870. 

Hon.  Edward  Wright.  Among  the  men  of  Putnam  county 
who  have  risen  by  their  own  unaided  efforts  to  positions  of 
trust  and  honor,  a  prominent  place  should  be  given  to  Edward 
Wright,  who  was  for  twenty  years  judge  of  Putnam  county. 
Robert  Wright,  the  ancestor  of  this  family,  was  a  resident  of 
that  portion  of  Fredericksburg  Precinct  which  afterward  be- 
came the  town  of  Carmel,  before  the  Revolution,  and  his  son, 
Robert,  was  a  citizen  of  the  same  place  till  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  April  19th,  1852,  at  the  age  of  78.  Robert 
Wright,  jr.,  married  Marian  Cunningham,  and  they  were  the  pa- 
rents of  eight  children:  John,  Robert,  Edward,  Ebenezer,  Mary 
A.,  wife  of  Abel  Ganong,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Eleazar  Ferguson, 
Phebe,  and  Delilah,  wife  of  Smith  Dean. 

John  Wright  is  now  living  at  Lake  Mahopac,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  84.  He  married  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Ezra  Frost,  who 
was  the  brother  of  Joel  Frost,  the  first  surrogate  of  the  county. 
The  children  of  this  marriage  were  Ebenezer,  who  died  in  1848, 
unmarried,  and  Edward,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Judge  Wright  was  born  May  15th,  1826,  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Union  Valley  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  Bailey  Ga- 


Ji'n  a  ihj  liBJjalfc  J./ra  LR' 


GENEJIAL   HISTORY.  241 

nong.  During  his  boyhood  he  attended  the  village  school,  and 
after  some  experience  as  a  teacher  entered  the  Normal  School 
at  Albany,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1848.  After  graduating 
he  followed  the  business  of  teaching  for  several  years,  but  his 
tastes  and  inclinations  being  for  political  affairs  he  soon  became 
a  candidate  for  local  office.  April  2d,  1850,  he  was  elected  town 
suj^erintendent  of  schools,  which  office  he  held  by  successive 
re  elections  until  the  system  was  abolished  by  the  Legislature 
in  1856.  In  1851  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  holding 
that  position  until  March,  1861,  when  he  resigned,  having  been 
elected  county  clerk  in  November,  1860.  The  latter  office  he 
held  for  the  term  of  three  years.  He  was  elected  inspector  of 
election  April  3d,  1855,  and  town  clerk  April  7th,  1857.  He  was 
appointed  census  marshall  and  took  the  United  States  census 
of  Putnam  county  in  1860.  He  was  clerk  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  from  1853  to  1856,  and  from  1858  to  1861.  During 
his  term  as  county  clerk  he  engaged  in  the  study  of  the  law, 
and  previous  to  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  was  elected  county 
judge,  taking  his  seat  in  January,  1864.  This  responsible 
position  Judge  Wright  continued  to  fill  with  ability  and  integ- 
rity till  January,  1884. 

Having  completed  his  law  studies  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar,  May  16th,  1866,  and  his  time  not  employed  in  the  perform- 
ance of  judicial  duties  has  been  devoted  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  in  which  he  holds  an  honorable  rank  among  the 
members  of  the  Putnam  County  Bar. 

January  1st,  1850,  he  was  married  to  Phebe  E.,  daughter  of 
Job  C.  Austin,  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  county.  Their  chil- 
dren are  Lillie  A.,  wife  of  Henry  A.  Gahn,  and  Mattie,  wife  of 
Willis  A.  Ganong. 

The  home  of  Judge  Wright  is  situated  on  the  road  to  Croton 
Falls,  a  short  distance  from  Lake  Mahopac,  being  a  portion  of 
the  farm  of  Benjamin  Townsend,  at  whose  house  the  first 
Methodist  meetings  in  that  section  were  held.  This  place  he 
bought  of  John  Beyea  in  1850  and  it  has  since  been  his  home. 

A  prominent  member  of  the  democratic  party,  Judge  Wright 
has  been  a  frequent  delegate  to  State  and  judicial  conventions, 
and  his  well  merited  success  in  official  as  well  as  financial 
matters  is  the  natural  result  of  steady  perseverance  and  unceas- 
ing labor. 

16 


242  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Charles  H.  Ferris  was  born  in  Matteawan,  Dutchess  county, 
New  York,  in  December,  1834.  About  two  years  after,  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Cold  Spring,  where  he  still  resides. 
His  parents,  Philander  and  Mary  A.  (Lockwood)  Ferris,  were 
born  in  Connecticut.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they  located  at 
Matteawan,  N.  Y.,  where  two  children,  Elethea  and  Charles 
H.,  were  born.  His  father  was  a  mason  and  builder,  and  built 
many  of  the  early  buildings  erected  in  Cold  Spring,  I^elson- 
ville  and  vicinity.  His  mother  died  in  October,  1877.  His 
father  is  still  living,  at  Cold  Spring,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  He 
has  one  brother  and  two  sisters  now  living,  viz.,  Elethea,  wife 
of  Smith  Forman,  Josiah  and  Amy  J. 

Charles  H.  first  attended  school  in  the  brick  school  house  in 
Nelsonville,  and  afterward  in  some  of  the  adjoining  districts. 
About  the  year  1848  he  was  placed  in  a  private  school  in  Cold 
Spring,  of  which  Professor  Daniels  was  principal,  and  in  which 
he  remained  three  years.  After  leaving  this  school  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  J.  O.  Dykman  in 
Cold  Spring,  where  he  remained  for  one  year.  In  1852,  he  en- 
tered the  office  of  Close  &  Kobertson,  at  Mott  Haven,  West- 
chester county,  N.  Y.,  and  remained  with  them  until  1855.  In 
that  year  he  was  admitted  to  practice  as  an  attorney  at  law  by 
the  General  Term  of  the  Supreme  Court,  held  at  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y. 

After  being  admitted  to  the  Bar  he  continued  in  the  office 
of  Close  &  Robertson  about  one  year,  then  returned  to  Cold 
Spring,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law,  and  has  been 
very  successful  in  his  profession. 

In  1862,  he  was  elected  a  Justice  of  the  peace  of  his  town,  and 
has  continuously  held  this  office  down  to  this  time  (except  for 
about  three  months),  a  period  of  nearly  twenty-four  years,  and 
for  a  large  part  of  the  time  that  he  was  justice  of  the  fJeace,  he 
also  held  the  office  of  police  justice  of  the  town  of  Philipstown, 
under  annual  appointments  by  the  police  commissioners  of  that 
town. 

In  1865;  he  was  appointed  assistant  assessor  of  Internal 
Revenue  for  the  town  of  Philipstown  by  Andrew  Johnson, 
president  of  the  United  States,  and  held  this  office  until  1868. 

In  1866,  he  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Carey,  daughter  of  William 
and  Catharine  Carey  of  New  York  city.  She  was  a  graduate 
of  the  Normal  School,  New  York,  and  at  the  time  of  her  mar- 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  243 

riage  was,  and  for  some  years  previous  had  been  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  in  that  city.  They  have  two  children,  Katie 
L.  and  May  A.  Ferris,  who,  with  an  adopted  son,  Willie  0. 
Ferris,  are  now  attending  the  same  district  school  that  their 
father  attended,  and  in  which  district  he  has  resided  since  he 
came  to  Cold  Spring  in  1836. 

William  Carey,  his  wife's  father,  was  a  successful  merchant 
in  the  city  of  New  York  until  about  1860,  when  he  retired  from 
active  business,  built  a  residence  in  Harlem  in  which  he  has 
resided  since  that  time;  he  is  now  about  eighty  years  of  age. 
His  wife,  Catharine,  died  in  August,  1884. 

In  1868,  he  was  elected  school  commissioner  for  Putnam 
county,  and  held  the  office  for  three  years,  giving  general  satis- 
faction throughout  the  county. 

In  1860  or  1861,  he  was  initiated  and  became  a  member  of 
Philipstown  Lodge,  No.  236,  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Cold  Spring,  and 
was  thereafter  elected  its  secretary,  holding  that  office  for  six 
or  seven  successive  years. 

In  politics,  he  has  been  a  democrat  since  1862,  and  as  such 
has  been  elected  to  the  various  offices  he  has  held  in  his  town 
and  county. 

Hon.  William  Wood.  Among  the  men  who  have  risen  to 
higli  positions  of  trust  and  usefulness  by  their  own  unaided 
efforts,  a  prominent  place  should  be  given  to  Judge  William 
Wood,  who  was  born  in  County  Down,  near  Belfast,  Ireland, 
August  6th,  1842.  His  parents,  Robert  and  Jane  (Thompson) 
Wood,  resolved  to  emigrate  to  America  when  he  was  yet  a 
child,  and  a  dim  recollection  of  a  spring  that  flowed  by  his 
father's  door,  and  of  a  house  that  stood  on  an  opposite  hill, 
are  the  only  memories  that  he  brought  from  his' native  land. 
Upon  coming  to  this  country  in  the  spring  of  1847,  the  family 
settled  in  Cold  Spring,  and  the  son  obtained  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  village. 

When  he  had  reached  a  suitable  age  he  was  placed  as  an  ap- 
prentice in  the  works  of  the  West  Point  Foundry  and  learned 
the  trade  of  an  iron  moulder  and  continued  in  that  business 
till  he  reached  his  thirtieth  year. 

An  accidental  circumstance  led  him  to  contemplate  the  study 
of  law.  Meeting  with  Samuel  Owen,  Esq.,  who  was  at  that 
time  the  district  attorney,  and  a  prominent  lawyer,  he  was 
urged  bj'  him  to  enter  his  office  as  a  law  student,  and  gladly 


244  HISTORY   OP  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

accepted  his  invitation.  In  his  younger  days  he  had  been  a 
member  of  a  village  debating  society,  and  was  distinguished  for 
his  ready  eloquence,  and  it  was  one  of  the  employments  of  his 
boyhood  to  attend  Justices'  Courts,  and  listen  to  the  lawyers, 
as  they  examined  the  witnesses  and  made  their  pleas.  He  was 
clerk  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1873,  and  upon  completing 
his  term  as  a  law  student  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  Sep- 
tember, 1876.  In  November  of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  district  attorney,  and  was  twice  re-elected,  and 
after  serving  seven  years,  during  which  time  he  enjoyed  an  ex- 
tensive law  practice,  resigned  the  office  to  enter  upon  the  duties 
of  county  judge,  to  which  position  he  was  elected  in  the  fall  of 
1883.  The  popularity  of  Judge  Wood  was  sufficiently  attested 
by  the  fact  that  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  in  every  town  in 
the  county. 

He  long  held  high  rank  among  the  masonic  fraternity,  being 
member  of  the  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Commandery. 

For  many  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cold  Spring,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  public  and 
private  life,  there  are  few  citizens  who  enjoy  a  higher  degree  of 
well  merited  respect  and  confidence. 

Judge  Wood  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Ellen,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  Groundwater.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children;  Ellen  C,  Robert  T.,  and  Emily  R. 

As  a  political  speaker.  Judge  Wood  has  few  superiors,  and 
during  the  last  two  presidential  campaigns  he  was  engaged 
by  the  State  committee  to  deliver  addresses  in  various  portions 
of  the  State.  He  has  also  been  a  frequent  delegate  to  the  State 
and  Congressional  conventions,  and  as  a  life  long  member  of  the 
republican  party  his  weight  and  influence  are  fully  recognized 
in  its  councils. 

Seymour  Birdsall  Nelson,  son  of  Elisha  Nelson,  was  born 
in  Cold  Spring,  December  18th,  1843.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Classical  Institute,  Tarrytown,  and  the  Hudson  River  Institute 
at  Claverack.  He  graduated  at  the  Albany  Law  School  in  1866 
with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  the 
same  year.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  in  the  office 
of  George  Gage  at  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  in  1867,  remaining 
there  about  a  year,  then  removed  to  New  York  city  where  he 
continued  to  practice  about  a  year.  For  a  few  years  thereafter 
he  was  not  engaged  in  practice.     In  1874  he  opened  an  office  at 


GENERAL   HISTOET.  245 

Cold  Spring,  at  which  place  he  still  continues  in  active  practice. 
January  11th,  1870,  he  married  Miss  Greorgianna  Carmichael,  of 
Cold  Spring.  They  have  five  children.  He  has  held  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace  since  1879. 

James  Gardiner  was  born  at  Cold  Spring,  Putnam  county, 
October  4th,  1842.  His  parents  came  to  Putnam  county  in  1838 
from  Ireland.  He  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Cold 
Spring,  studied  law  with  C.  H,  Ferris  of  same  place,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  in  May,  1877.  He  has  practiced  in  Cold 
Spring  since  that  time. 

Abeam  J.  Miller,  third  son  of  John  G.  and  Phebe  A.  Mil- 
ler, was  born  in  the  town  of  Somers,  in  the  adjoining  county  of 
Westchester,  on  the  18th  day  of  January,  1847.  His  parents 
moved  to  Carmel,  April  1st,  following,  and  he  has  remained  a 
resident  of  Putnam  county  since.  His  boyhood  was  passed  in 
the  village  of  Carmel,  where  he  enjoyed  the  ordinary  advan- 
tages of  a  country  school,  until  he  was  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  when,  after  a  year  in  the  public  schools  of  New  York  city, 
he  entered  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  at  that  time 
the  Free  Academy.  After  two  years  he  severed  his  connection 
with  that  institution  and  matriculated  at  Columbia  College  Law 
School,  where  he  graduated  May  19th,  1869,  with  the  degree  of 
LL.  B.  He  located  at  Brewster,  in  the  summer  of  that  year 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. He  was  appointed  an  assistant  assessor  of  Internal  Rev- 
enue, in  1870,  and  when  that  office  was  abolished,  became  a 
deputy  collector,  which  position  he  held  until  August,  1883.  In 
the  autumn  of  1884,  he  was  elected  district  attorney  of  the 
county,  which  office  he  holds  at  present. 

William  Henry  Haldane,  who  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Cold  Spring-ori-Hudson,  April  21st,  1851,  belongs  to  a  family 
prominent  in  Putnam  county  for  many  years.  Mr.  Haldane 
was  graduated  from  Columbia  College  in  1872  and  began  the 
study  of  the  law  under  direction  of  the  distinguished  advocate, 
Everett  P.  Wheeler,  Esq.,  in  New  York.  At  the  same  time  he 
attended  lectures  in  the  law  school  of  that  institution  from  which 
he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in  1874,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar.  Since  then  he  has  been  entirely  engaged  in  the  general 
practice  of  his  profession  in  New  York,  having  stated  times  for 
attendance  at  his  office  in  Cold  Spring. 


246  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Gepbge  Edward  Anderson,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Austin) 
Anderson,  was  born  at  German  Flats,  on  the  Anderson  Home- 
stead in  the  town  of  Carmel,  June  24th,  1853.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  school  and  at  the  State  Normal  School, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1873.  After  teaching  one  term,  he 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  April,  1874,  with  Calvin  Frost, 
Esq.,  of  Peekskill,  N.  Y.  He  graduated  at  the  Albany  Law 
School  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  May,  1876.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he  located  at  Car- 
mel, N.  Y.,  where  he  has  continued  to  practice  his  profes- 
sion ever  since,  having  during  all  the  time  occupied  an  office 
with  Hon.  Ambrose  Ryder.  He  has  been  the  candidate  of  the 
democratic  party  for  the  offices  of  member  of  Assembly  and 
district  attorney,  and  was  clerk  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
three  years.  He  was  mai-ried  September  6th,  1877,  to  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Jesse  Agor,  of  the  town  of  Carmel,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Jesse  Leslie  Anderson,  born  April  28th,  1880. 

Ward  B.  Yeomans,  son  of  Byron  A.  Yeomans,  was  born  in 
Philipstown,  April  24th,  1856.  He  was  educated  at  Madison 
University  and  the  State  Normal  School.  He  studied  law  with 
Hon.  William  Wood  at  Cold  Spring  and  graduated  at  the  Al- 
bany Law  School  in  May,  1880,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  the  same  time.  In  June,  1880,  he 
commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  at  Cold  Spring  and  has  con- 
tinued in  practice  at  that  place  to  the  present  time.  He  was 
married  December  29th,  1882,  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Morro,  daughter 
of  Julius  Morro,  of  Brooklyn. 

Frederic  Stone  Barnum  was  born  in  Southeast,  Putnam 
county,  N.  Y.,  June  17th,  1858.  He  was  a  son  of  the  late  Le 
Ray  Barnum,  of  Southeast,  and  a  grandson  of  the  late  Judge 
Stone  of  Patterson.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  sent  to  a 
boarding  school  at  Redding,  Conn.,  and  went  from  there  to  the 
Chappaqua  Institute  in  Westchester  county,  N.  Y.  He  was 
prepared  for  college  at  Amenia  Seminary,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Mr. 
Selleck's  School,  Norwalk,  Conn.  In  1875,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, he  entered  the  Freshman  class  of  Columbia  College,  and 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1879.  He  was  one  of  the 
honor  men  of  that  year,  and  was  nominated  by  the  Faculty 
as:  "  One  of  the  three  most  faithful  and  deserving  students  of 
the  graduating  class." 

In  the  fall  of  1879  he  entered  the  Columbia  Law  School,  and 


'Y'Tx^  d-^^e'-t^  -t-      vP,      /^  (ou-c^cy 


Ce 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  247 

graduated  in  1881,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  [Cum  Laude]. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  Poughkeepsie  May  21st,  1881, 
and  continued  his  studies  in  the  office  of  Close  &  Robertson,  at 
White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  until  March,  1882,  when  he  opened  a  law 
office  in  Brewster,  IST.  Y.  In  June,  1872,  he  received  the  degree 
of  M.  A.  from  Columbia  College.  January  4th,  1884,  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Cleveland,  district  attorney  of  Putnam 
county  and  held  the  office  one  year.  During  his  term  as  district 
attorney,  two  important  criminal  trials  were  successfully  con- 
ducted: one  being  the  case  of  "  The  People  vs.  Chester  W. 
Merrick,"  indicted  for  the  murder  of  Burns,  and  the  other  the 
case  of  "  The  People  vs.  James  H.  Riley,"  indicted  for  the  mur- 
der of  Hannah  Sunderlin.  Both  cases  excited  great  interest, 
and  the  defense  in  each  was  able  and  vigorous.  Merrick  was 
found  guilty  of  manslaughter  in  the  first  degree,  and  Riley  is 
now  serving  a  life  sentence  in  Sing  Sing. 

In  the  fall  of  1884  Mr.  Barnum  was  a  canidate  for  the  office 
of  district  attorney  on  the  democratic  ticket,  but  was  defeated 
by  Abram  J.  Miller.  In  September,  1885,  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Saratoga  convention  which  nominated  David  B.  Hill  for 
governor. 

Clattois"  Ryder,  son  of  Ambrose  and  Mary  M.  (Hillyer) 
Ryder,  was  born  in  Carmel,  February  8th,  1860.  He  graduated 
at  Cornell  University  in  1879;  attended  the  Columbia  Law 
School  during  the  year  1880-81;  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  the 
following  December,  and  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Carmel  in 
January,  1882,  which  he  still  continues. 

The  following  are  at  the  present  time  living  in  Putnam 
county  and  practicing  in  New  York  city: 

Hon.  Hamilton  Fish,  jr.  To  detail  within  the  limits  assigned 
us  in  this  volume  all  that  is  either  important  or  praiseworthy  in 
the  life  of  any  individual  is  impossible.  Mere  outlines  of  lives 
in  the  history  of  a  county  famous  for  its  prominent  men  must 
content  us.  They  of  themselves  will  form  a  larger  production 
than  was  originally  designed.  Especially  do  we  feel  the  depri- 
vation of  space  in  recording  the  life  of  Hamilton  Fish,  jr. 
His  steady  devotion  to  the  party  whose  principles  he  espoused 
entitles  him  to  credit.  His  remarkable  activity  in  the  service 
of  Putnam  county  is  worthy  of  praise. 

Mr.   Fish  was  born  at  the  State  capital,  April  17th,  1849, 


348  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

while  his  father  was  governor.  In  1857,  he  accompanied  the 
family  on  an  extended  European  tour  which  continued  some 
years.  This  was  of  great  advantage  to  the  young  man  in  his 
studies,  as  it  enabled  him  to  combine  experience  with  research. 
In  1869  he  graduated  from  Columbia  College.  His  father  had 
just  entered  the  cabinet  of  President  Grant  as  secretary  of 
State.  Mr.  Fish  became  his  private  secretary  and  remained  in 
his  service  till  1871,  when  he  entered  the  Law  School  of 
Columbia  College,  He  graduated  two  years  later  and  has  since 
practiced  his  profession  in  New  York  city. 

His  political  services  since  the  time  of  his  graduation  have 
been  almost  continuous.  From  1873  to  ■  1874  he  served  as  aide 
de  camp  on  the  staff  of  Gren.  Dix,  then  governor  of  New  York. 
During  1874-76-77-78  and  79  he  represented  Putnam  county  in 
the  Legislature.  Here  he  won  the  reputation  and  popularity 
as  a  political  leader  which  he  now  enjoys.  For  the  greater  por- 
tion of  his  term  at  Albany  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
cities.  Many  of  the  reform  measures  for  the  city  of  New  York 
were  intrusted  to  his  care  and  the  manner  in  which  he  treated 
them  is  highly  creditable. 

Mr.  Fish  has  been  for  many  years  chairman  of  the  Republi- 
can County  Committee  of  Putnam  county.  His  careful  man- 
agement of  its  affairs  led  to  his  appointment  in  1884  as  a  dele- 
gate to  the  national  convention  at  Chicago.  At  the  beginning 
of  his  political  career  he  found  Putnam  a  strongly  democratic 
county.  The  change  which  has  taken  place  is  largely  due  to 
Mr.  Fish's  efforts.     The  county  is  now  republican. 

The  inheritor  of  a  time  honored  name,  his  education  and  as- 
sociations prompt  him  to  guard  it  jealously.  Depending  on 
the  advocacy  of  measures  effecting  permanent  benefit,  his  polit- 
ical fame  is  built  upon  a  lasting  foundation.  The  advantages 
enjoyed  by  Mr.  Fish  in  his  educational  facilities,  the  advice 
and  instruction  of  a  father  whose  name  is  familiar  wherever 
American  history  is  known,  his  constant  association  from  early 
childhood  with  the  greatest  men  of  the  times,  and  the  rich 
store  of  experience  gained  in  his  various  travels,  have  eminently 
fitted  him  for  the  positions  he  has  already  held,  as  well  as  for 
higher  ones  in  the  future. 

Mr.  Fish  married,  April  28th,  1880,  Emily  M.,  daughter  of 
the  late  Hon.  Francis  N.  Mann,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.  They  have  two 
daughters. 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  249 

Hon.  Robert  A.  Livingston.  One  of  the  most  promi- 
nent of  Putnam  county's  citizens  is  Robert  A.  Living- 
ston. Though  still  a  young  man,  his  ample  wealth,  high  social 
standing,  and  remarkable  ability  as  a  jurist  have  won  for  him 
a  popularity  and  a  position  in  the  county,  which  are  hardly 
equaled  by  any. 

Mr.  Livingston  is  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Livingston 
&  Olcott,  at  No.  4  Warren  street.  New  York  city,  which  is  well 
known  in  real  estate  circles,  and  in  the  civil  courts.  He  was 
born  in  New  York  city,  February  6th,  1854,  and  is  from  the 
family  whose  history,  as  manorial  proprietors  in  the  days  of  the 
Dutch  governors,  is  familiar  to  the  American  people  all  over  the 
world.  Among  the  many  members  of  the  family  whose  names 
have  been  handed  down  to  fame  are:  John  Livingston  (born  in 
1603),  the  common  ancestor  of  the  family,  and  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  the  fifth  Lord  Livingston,  ancestor  of  "  the  Earls  of  Lin- 
lithgo "  and  Callender,  in  Scotland,  who  was  an  energetic 
preacher  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Scotland,  and  was  ban- 
ished in  1663,  for  nonconformity  to  prelatical  rule:  Philip,  who 
was  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence;  William,  who 
was  governor  of  New  Jersey;  Brockholst,  a  prominent  soldier 
and  jurist;  Robert  R.,  a  prominent  statesman  and  member  of 
the  First  Continental  Congress,  also  Chancellor  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  the  man  who  administered  the  oath  of  office  to 
George  Washington,  the  first  president  of  the  United  States; 
Edward,  a  brother  of  the  preceding,  mayor  of  New  York  city, 
United  States  district  attorney  for  the  State  of  New  York,  sec- 
retary of  State  for  the  United  States,  and  who  was  the  author 
of  the  Criminal  Code;  and  John  H.  Livingston,  D.D.,  the  well 
known  theologian. 

Mr.  Livingston  was  prepared  for  college  at  Grammar  school 
No.  35,  and  by  private  tutors.  After  graduating  from  Colum- 
bia, in  the  class  of  1876,  he  for  two  years  pursued  a  course  of 
study  in  the  law  school  of  that  institution.  On  graduating 
from  there  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  serv- 
ing for  a  time  a  clerkship  in  the  office  of  Knox  &  Mason. 
Much  of  his  knowledge  of  law  was  imparted  to  him  by  his 
uncle,  the  venerable  and  respected  jurist,  Charles  0' Conor. 
Acting  under  his  advice,  he  only  appeared  during  the  first  years 
of  his  practice  in  assigned  cases  in  the  higher  criminal  courts. 

Among  the  many  famous  criminal  cases  which  Mr.  Livingston 


250  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

has  been  called  upon  to  manage,  was  that  of  George  Melius, 
the  rear  brakeman  on  the  train  which  was  wrecked  in  the  Spuy- 
ten  Duyvil  disaster,  at  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  Senator 
Wagner  lost  his  life.  Melius  was  charged  with  manslaughter, 
and  though  advised  by  many  older  lawyers  that  the  case  was  a 
hopeless  one,  Mr.  Livingston  undertook  its  defense.  At  the 
trial  he  showed  that  the  rear  brakeman,  though  supposed  by 
one  set  of  rules  to  go  back  and  signal  a  following  train,  if  the 
train  came  to  a  stop,  was,  however,  first  compelled  to  make  a 
report  to  his  conductor.  Mr.  Livingston  claimed  that  it  was 
while  obeying  this  rule  that  the  accident  occurred,  and  by  so 
doing  procured  an  acquittal.  At  another  time  he  defended 
Alexander  Armstrong,  an  old  colored  servant  of  the  family  of 
Cambridge  Livingston.  Armstrong  was  on  trial  for  arson  in 
the  first  degree.  The  prosecution  proved  that  he  had  repeat- 
edly threatened  to  set  on  fire  a  tenement  house  in  which  he 
lived.  It  was  also  shown  by  a  colored  clergyman  and  his  wife 
that  Armstong  on  the  night  of  the  fire  threw  a  lamp  up  to  the 
ceiling,  and  thus  set  fire  to  his  room.  Mr.  Livingston  proved 
that  the  clergyman  had  served  a  term  of  years  in  Sing  Sing  for 
assault,  and  that  on  the  night  in  question  he  and  his  wife 
attacked  the  accused  and  that  in  the  sciiflie  the  lamp  was  upset. 
As  a  consequence,  Armstrong  was  acquitted. 

These  and  many  other  cases,  Mr.  Livingston  has  managed 
with  remarkable  success  and  he  now  stands  in  the  first  rank 
among  the  lawyers  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Livingston  has  also  paid  considerable  attention  to  poli- 
tics. He  is  a  republican  and  has  been  twice  elected  to  the 
Assembly  as  the  representative  of  Putnam  county,  he  being  a 
resident  of  Garrisons.  He  was  at  one  time  a  prominent  candi- 
date for  the  speakership  and  has  an  exceedingly  clear  record  in 
the  House.  He  is  looked  upon  as  an  honest,  fearless  and  able 
legislator. 

Mr.  Livingston  has  received  the  degrees  of  A.B.,  LL.B.  and 
M.A.,  and  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Bar  Association.  He 
is  greatly  respected  throughout  the  county  in  which  he  lives, 
and  by  the  profession  of  which  he  is  such  an  able  representa- 
tive. 


(^^^t^e^ JHy^^ 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  MEDICAL  HISTORY  OF  PUTNAM  COUNTY. 

BY  J.   Q.   ADAMS,  M.  D. 


Dr.  Robert  Weeks. — Ebenezer  Fletcher. — Daniel  Reed. — William  G.  Hopkins. — 
Aaron  Carman. — Noah  Hill  Crane. — Dr.  Howland. — Frederick  Fletcher. — 
Ebenezer  F.  Boyd. — Dr.  Barnum. — Asher  Gilbert. — Dr.  Adams. — Dr.  Board- 
man, — Edward  Crosby. — J.  Homer  Smith. — Frederick  D.  Lente. — Ira  H. 
Walker. — Edward  B.  Turner. — Joseph  H.  Bailey. — Daniel  Bull. — John  Ham- 
ilton.— Joseph  C.  Crane. — J.  Q.  Adams. — Addison  Ely. — Nathan  W.  Wheeler. 
— Jonathan  F.  Seeley. — Austin  La  Monte. — George  W.  Murdock. — Jared  G. 
Wood. — Lewis  H.  Miller. — Edson  Card,  jr. — James  Hadden. — Ernest  Hebr- 
smith. — Medical  Societies. 


IN  order  to  form  a  just  appreciation  of  the  subject,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  contrast  the  past  with  the  present;  the 
time  when  there  were  few  medical  colleges  in  this  country,  and 
now  when  they  abound  in  the  land;  when  medical  books  were 
scarce,  the  best  medical  library  being  worth  less  than  $100,  and 
now,  when  medical  libraries  count  their  thousands  of  volumes; 
when  it  took  a  week  to  go  from  New  York  to  Boston;  now  the 
journey  is  performed  in  a  few  hours;  when  there  were  in  this 
country  but  few  roads,  and  those  in  wretched  condition,  upon 
which  a  carriage  was  scarcely  seen,  travelling  being  upon  horse- 
back; now,  riding  at  ease  in  fine  carriages,  with  fine  horses, 
through  a  country  dotted  with  villages,  and  hamlets;  then 
when  there  were  but  few  hospitals  or  opj)ortunities  for  clinical 
study;  now,  when  such  facilities  create  unbounded  rivalries 
which  degenerate  into  systems  of  trade;  then  when  there  were 
but  few  medical  men  in  this  country,  and  those  riding  into  two 
or  three  towns,  encountering  great  trials  and  hardships;  now 
with  a  superfluity. 

Then  a  physician  received  a  preparation  that  would  now  be 
thought  insufficient  to  admi^t  one  to  practice,  for  his  medical 


252  HISTOEY   OF   PUTNAM   COUKTY. 

education  was  such  as  he  could  pick  up  while  serving  an  ap- 
prenticeship to  some  noted  practitioner,  during  which  he  com- 
bined the  duties  of  a  student  with  many  of  the  menial  offices  of 
a  servant. 

No  practice  was  to  be  seen  but  by  the  laborious  mode  of  visit- 
ing the  sick  at  their  respective  abodes,  the  infancy  of  our 
country  not  admitting  of  the  establishment  of  hospitals,  while 
the  false  delicacy  of  the  people  allowed  no  advantages  from  dis- 
section. Says  McMasters:  "He  ground  the  powders,  mixed 
the  pills,  rode  with  the  doctor  on  his  rounds,  held  the  basin 
when  the  patient  was  bled,  helped  to  adjust  plasters,  to  sew 
wounds  and  run  with  vials  of  medicine  from  one  end  of  town  to 
the. other.  His  apprenticeship  ended,  the  half  educated  lad 
returned  to  his  native  town  to  assume  practice.  Sunshine  and 
rain,  daylight  and  darkness  were  alike  to  him.  He  would  ride 
ten  miles  on  the  darkest  night  over  the  worst  of  roads,  in  a 
pelting  storm,  to  administer  a  dose  of  calomel  to  an  old  woman, 
or  to  attend  a  child  in  a  fit." 

For  his  services  he  seldom  received  money.  He  was  glad  to 
get  corn,  oats,  potatoes,  a  few  hoop  poles,  a  Jag  of  wood  for  his 
fireplace  or  the  thanks  of  his  patrons.  He  was  present  at 
every  birth,  he  attended  every  burial,  he  sat  with  the  minister  at 
every  death-bed,  and  put  his  name  with  the  lawyer  to  every 
will. 

The  use  of  anaesthetics  was  then  unknown.  The  inhalation 
of  ether  or  chloroform  for  producing  insensibility  was  not 
known  till  1846.  Physiology  was  in  its  infancy,  and  pathology, 
as  a  science,  was  unknown. 

Not  one  of  the  many  remedies  which  destroy  disease,  which 
hold  in  check  the  most  loathsome  maladies,  and  the  most  violent 
epidemics,  was  in  use.  ' 

The  anticeptic  method  of  treating  open  wounds,  known  as 
Listerism,  was  first  practiced  by  Joseph  Lister  of  Edinburgh, 
Scotland,  in  1874. 

Vaccination  was  then  also  unknown.  It  was  not  until  about 
1763  that  Edward  Jenners'  attention  was  first  called  to  the  sub- 
ject of  prevention  of  small  pox,  his  experiments  extending  over 
a  period  of  thirty-three  years  before  his  discovery  was  recog- 
nized and  established,  which  was  in  1796. 

Dr.  Robert  Weeks  was  born  in  Tommyhawk  Street,  West- 
chester county,  in  1772.     He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Elias 


GENEEAL   HISTOKY.  253 

Cornelius  of  Westchester  county,  and  graduated  at  the  Medical 
Department  of  Columbia  College,  New  York  city,  in  1793. 
Soon  after  graduating  he  came  to  Carmel — probably  in  1794 — 
where  he  practiced  twenty-two  years,  when  he  died  in  1816  at 
the  age  of  44.  Dr.  Weeks  practiced  here  several  years  before 
this  was  Putnam  county,  and  was  very  largely  instrumental  in 
having  the  several  towns  of  Dutchess  set  off  as  Patnam  county. 
He  was  in  the  Legislature  at  the  time  the  act  was  passed. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Fletcher  was  born  in  Pound  Ridge,  West- 
chester county,  in  the  year  1774.  He  commenced  the  practice 
of  medicine  and  surgery  in  Patterson  in  the  early  part  of  this" 
century.  He  was  a  short,  well  built,  red  faced  man,  active, 
energetic,  and  of  great  decision  of  character.  His  medical  and 
surgical  knowledge  was  above  the  average  of  his  contemporaries. 
He  performed  many  surgical  operations  successfully,  was  ever 
ready  to  go  at  the  call  of  the  sick,  whether  poor  or  rich,  in  win- 
ter or  summer,  cold  or  wet,  and  for  nearly  fifty  years  did  an  ex- 
tensive practice  in  the  towns  of  Patterson,  Kent  and  Southeast. 
He  died  in  Patterson  in  1852  at  the  age  of  78. 

Dk.  Daniel  Reed  located  in  Southeast  sometime  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  He  was  a  large,  portly  man  with  counte- 
nance beaming  with  benevolence,  kindness  and  good  will. 

His  early  medical  education  might  have  been  limited  but  his 
large  experience  in  all  forms  of  disease  for  fifty  years  and  his 
frequent  consultations  with  his  medical  brethren  made  him  a 
wise  and  successful  practitioner,  while  his  self  confidence,  genial 
manner  and  decision  won  the  confidence  and  love  of  his  patients. 
He  always  rode  on  horseback  with  large  saddle-bags  well  filled, 
and  a  pipe  ever  in  his  mouth. 

In  serioiis  cases  he  was  in  no  haste  and  frequently  remained 
for  hours  and  sometimes  days,  and  Ms  presence  was  so  gracious 
and  inspiring  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  good  medicine  in  itself. 
His  ride  was  extensive  and  his  pay  small  and  often  nothing. 
It  was  said  that  Putnam  county  owed  hitn  $10,000  for  gratu- 
itous services. 

Dr.  William  G.Hopkins  was  born  June  29th,  1788,  on  the  farm 
on  the  hill  about  one  mile  south  of  the  village  of  Carmel,  then 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  father,  Thatcher  Hopkins.  He  lived 
on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  of  age,  when  he  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Di-.  Ebenezer  White  of  the  village  of 


254  HISTOET   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Somers,  Westchester  county,  and  continued  studying  with  Dr. 
White  until  he  attended  lectures  in  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  New  York  in  the  year  1810.  Among  the  pro- 
fessors were  J.  Augustin  Smith,  Valentine  Mott  and  John  Bard. 
He  received  his  license  to  practice  from  the  Medical  Society  of 
the  County  of  Westchester  in  the  year  1811,  Dr.  Munson  Smith 
being  president,  and  William  H.  Sackett  secretary  of  the  so- 
ciety. He  practiced  medicine  with  Dr.  Robert  Weeks  of  Car- 
mel  village  for  some  time. 

He  was  married  June  30th,  1813,  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 

'Hon.  Joel  Frost  of  the  town  of  Carmel.     In  1814  he  settled  on  a 

farm  about  four  miles  south  of  Carmel  on  the  road  leading  to 

the  village  of  Somers,  where  he  continued  in  the  practice  of 

medicine  for  twenty-nine  years. 

He  then  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  the  village  of  Carmel, 
where  he  lived  three  years.  Then  he  moved  to  the  village  of 
Peekskill  in  Westchester  county,  continuing  his  practice  until 
near  his  death  which  occurred  September  8th,  1870. 

De.  Aaron  Carman  was  born  February  25th.  1798,  in 
Philipstown,  then  Dutchess  county,  now  Putnam  Valley,  Put- 
nam county.  His  preliminary  education  was  obtained  in  Put- 
nam Valley.  He  studied  medicine  from  1817  to  1819,  with  his 
cousin.  Dr.  Samuel  Carman,  at  Pleasant  Valley,  east  of  Pough- 
keepsie,  Dutchess  county;  also  with  Dr.  James  Fountain  from 
1819  to  1821  in  Jefferson  Valley,  Westchester  county.  He  at- 
tended lectures  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons, 
New  York  city,  in  1821  and  1822,  where  he  graduated  May 
25th,  1822. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Lancaster,  Pa., 
where  he  remained  only  nine  months,  when  he  moved  to  the 
Highlands,  Putnam  county,  where  he  practiced  two  years.  He 
then  located  at  Lake  Mahopac,  where  he  practiced  fifty-eight 
years. 

He  was  made  a  member  of  the  Westchester  County  Medical 
Society  April  16th,  1822.  He  became  a  member  of  the  old 
Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Putnam  February  6th,  1828. 

He  was  married  to  Hannah  Lane,  daughter  of  Nathan  Lane, 
of  Putnam  Valley,  January  8th,  1823,  and  to  his  second  wife, 
Mary  H.  Biggs,  widow  of  Daniel  Biggs,  and  daughter  of 
Stephen  D.  Bailey,  December  4th,  1861.  He  died  at  Lake 
Mahopac  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  84.      Relatives  surviving  him 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  255 

are  his  wife,  Mary  H.  Carman,  and  his  daughter,  Mary  S.  Car- 
man. 

Dr.  Noah  Hill  Crane  was  born  in  Carmel  in  1787.  He  was 
the  son  of  Joseph  and  Chloe  Hill  Crane.  He  studied  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  Elias  Cornelius  in  Tommyhawk  street,  West 
Somers,  Westchester  county;  also  with  Dr.  John  Cornelius 
of  New  York  city,  and  graduated  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  in  New  York  city.  He  practiced  for  a 
time  there,  and  finally  came  to  Carmel,  where  he  practiced 
until  about  the  time  of  his  death. 

Soon  after  coming  to  Carmel,  he  married  Susan  Warring. 
Dr.  Crane  was  held  in  high  esteem  for  his  knowledge  of  medi- 
cine, his  skill  in  detecting  disease,  and  his  success  in  the  treat- 
ment of  different  cases. 

He  lived  on  the  Warring  homestead,  now  the  Smalley  House, 
until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  when  he  went  to  the  old 
homestead  two  miles  south  of  Carmel  village,  where  he  died  in 
1836  at  the  age  of  49  years. 

Dr.  Howland  was  born  of  Quaker  parentage  in  Pawling, 
Dutchess  county,  in  the  year  1786.  He  practiced  medicine  in 
Patterson  for  several  years,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  57 
years. 

Dr.  Frederick  Fletcher,  son  of  Dr.  Ebenezer  Fletcher, 
practiced  medicine  in  Patterson  several  years  between  1838  and 
1850,  then  went  West  and  died  at  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  F.  Boyd  was  born  in  Fishkill,  Dutchess 
county,  July  6th,  1812.  He  attended  the  school  of  the  Rev.  E. 
P.  Benedict  in  Patterson,  after  which  he  read  medicine  with  his 
father,  William  D.  Boyd,  M.  D.,  at  the  homestead  in  Fishkill. 
He  attended  lectures  at  the  University  Medical  College  and 
X graduated  in  1834. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  village  of  Cold 
Spring  immediately  after  graduating  and  there  remained  until 
his  death  which  occurred  December  21st,  1839,  at  the  age  of  27 
years. 

Soon  after  making  his  home  in  Cold  Spring  he  married  Caro- 
line Colwell  of  Fishkill,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  a  son,  who 
is  now  living  in  Oswego  in  this  State.  Dr.  Boyd  was  doubtless 
a  member  of  the  old  County  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Edward  Crosby  writes:  "The  physicians  of  Carmel  in 
their  order  as  I  remember  them: 


266  HISTOIiY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"  Dr.  Baknum  lived  where  Benjamin  D.Crane's  house  now 
stands;  his  office  was  the  brick  part  attached  to  that  house. 

"Dr.  AsHEE  Gilbert,  student  of  Dr.  Nehemiah  Perry,  of 
Ridgefield,  Conn.,  lived  where  the  late  Mr.  Jas.  D.  Little's 
house  now  stands. 

"  He  was  a  very  creditable  practitioner  and  could  have  com- 
manded a  good  practice  in  his  profession,  but,  alas!  he  was  a 
victim  of  intemperance. 

"  He  died  at  his  brother's,  Dr.  Wheeler  Gilbert,  inBeekman, 
Dutchess  county,  about  1838. 

"Dr.  Adams  lived  at  the  old  Warring  place  now  Smalley 
House.     He  was  there  only  two  or  three  years,  and  died  there. 

"Dr.  Boaedman  came  to  Carmel  about  1835.  lived,  I  think,  in 
the  Charles  Minor  house,  was  there  some  four  or  five  years  and 
I  think  went  back  to  New  Milford,  Conn.,  where  he  came  from." 

Dr.  Edwakd  Ckosby  writes:  "Now  when  I  come  to  write 
of  my  own  career  in  Carmel  I  cannot  think  of  very  much  to 
say.  All  my  early  life  associations,  social  and  religious,  are 
centered  about  Carmel,  of  the  old  Gilead  church  and  society  mor© 
especially,  the  recollections  are  truly  pleasant. 

' '  Nor  can  I  say  any  less  of  my  professional  relations  with  my 
brethren  of  the  medical  staff.  If  there  ever  has  been  any  chaf- 
ing between  brethren,  they  had  the  wisdom  to  not  allow  even 
the  smoke  to  be  seen  in  the  air.  I  commenced  my  medical  life 
by  reading  medicine  with  my  uncle,  the  late  Noah  H.  Crane,  in 
1835. 

"After  his  death  I  read  with  Dr.  Howland  of  Patterson,  and 
also,  while  teaching,  with  Dr.  Lewis  H.  White  of  Fishkill. 

"In  1837  and  1838  I  attended  a  partial  course  of  lectures  in 
New  Haven:  Anatomy,  by  Prof.  Night,  Chemistry  by  Prof.  B. 
Silliman,  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics  by  Prof.  TuUy,  and 
Practice  of  Medicine  by  Prof.  Ives. 

"  I  also  attended  two  full  courses  at  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia,  and  graduated  March  6th,  1840.  With 
gratitude  and  thanksgiving  for  my  successes  and  with  sorrow 
for  my  failures,  I  have  attended  on  the  calls  for  my  professional 
services  these  46  years." 

Dk.  Homer  Smith  was  born  on  the' 9th  of  July,  1811,  in 
Washington,  Conn.  He  was  a  son  of  Amos  Smith  and  a  de- 
scendant of  John  Smith,  who  came  from  England  in  November, 
1648.     Dr.  Smith,  after  obtaining  an  academical  education  at 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  257 

Litchfield  Academy,  Conn.,  and  other  institutions,  commenced 
the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Cooper  of  Poughlveepsie,  and 
after  pursuing  the  usual  course  of  study  was  licensed  to  prac- 
tice medicine  and  surgery  by  the  Dutchess  County  Medical 
Society. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Southeast  in  De- 
cember, 1840,  and  was  assiduously  devoted  to  the  duties  of  his 
profession  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  from  typho  malarial 
fever,  December  27th,  1884,  at  the  age  of  73  years.  Dr.  Smith 
was  married  to  Miss  H.  0.  Knapp  in  1869,  who  with  two  chil- 
dren survives  him. 

Frederick  D.  Lente,  A.  M.,  M.  D.'  '-So  rapidly  fly  the 
hours  that  it  is  well  to  pause  occasionally  amid  our  haste  and 
labors  to  note  the  changes  that  they  bring. 

"  This  very  evening  a  paper  was  to  have  been  presented  before 
this  Academy  by  our  esteemed  associate.  Dr.  Frederick  D. 
Lente. 

"  It  is  my  painful  duty  to  announce  that  the  appointment 
will  not  be  kept.  Again  the  remorseless  scythe  has  been  at 
work,  and  under  the  shadows  of  the  Highlands,  amid  the  scenes 
of  busy  and  eventful  years,  our  honored  friend  is  sleeping  the 
immortal  sleep. 

"  In  many  respects  Dr.  Lente' s  professional  career  was  anoma- 
lous, as  his  character  was  remarkable. 

"  What  our  specific  duty  is,  in  the  equation  of  life,  must, 
from  the  very  nature  of  things,  ever  remain  a  varjnng  quantity. 
Our  estimate  of  our  personal  duty,  however,  depends  largely, 
if  not  chiefly,  upon  our  personal  capabilities  of  estimating  the 
specific  work  required  of  us.  Working  simply  for  the  work's 
sake — to  kill  time — however  laudable  the  work  may  be,  is  not 
our  idea  of  the  highest  devotion  to  duty.  Our  highest  idea  of 
duty  is  the  highest  conception  of  duty  of  which  one's  mind  is 
capable. 

"He  who  has  always  lived  in  the  valleys  and  has  never  trod 
the  mountain  tops  can  have  but  a  meagre  appreciation  of  un- 
folding panoramas  of  sleeping  lakes  and  nestling  villages,  and 
the  broadening  far- off  prospect  beyond  the  hills.  As  he  ascends, 
though,  from  one  altitude  to  another,  and  his  vision  fakes  in 
a  wider  survey,  his  conceptions  of  '  the  far  off,  unattained,  and 

'  A  Memorial  read  before  tlie  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine,  November  1st, 
1883,  by  T.  Herring  Burohard,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 

17 


258  HISTORY   01'   PUTNAM   COUNTT. 

dim '  become  changed,  and  vague  surmises  now  give  place  to 
actual  knowledge.  But,  as  we  ascend  the  horizon  recedes; 
'  Hills  peep  o'er  hills,. and  Alps  o'er  Alps  arise,'  and  so  to  those 
choice  minds  of  highest  attainment  are  given  broader  vistas  and 
wider  fields  for  the  employment  of  noble  and  generous  deeds. 
And  ever,  as  these  adventurous  climbers  ascend,  their  eyes  are 
gladdened  and  their  hearts  are  cheered  with  loftier  aspirations. 
Humanity  rolls  like  a  mighty  ocean,  at  their  feet,  and,  though 
cold  its  waters  and  unfathomable  its  mysteries,  they  press 
higher  and  higher  to  fire  the  beacon  lights. 

"Dr.  Lente,  modest,  unpretentious,  gentle  as  he  was,  stood 
on  the  very  mountain  top,  and  from  his  exalted  observation 
took  in  a  broad  conception  of  life,  with  all  its  incidental  duties 
and  obligations.  Extreme  conscientiousness  might  well  be  predi- 
cated of  him  as  his  predominant  characteristic.  Never  have  T 
met  the  man  whose  regard  for  truth  was  so  immutable.  The 
keenest  justice,  even  in  most  trivial  matters,  governed  in  all  his 
dealings.  Honor  was  dearer  to  him  than  life.  His  professional 
obligations  to  his  patients,  his  sense,  of  professional  responsi- 
bility he  regarded  as  but  second  to  his  accountability  to  God. 
Sensitive  of  the  rights  of  others  as  he  was  of  his  own  integrity, 
neither  intimidation  nor  reward  could  swerve  him  from  his  own 
high  sense  of  right. 

"Slander  and  vituperation,  ever  venomous,  ever  foul,  sink 
infinitely  beneath  contempt  when  incited  by  professional  jeal- 
ousy, bigotry,  and  pique.  The  vicious  intolerance  breathed 
against  Dr.  Lente  at  Saratoga,  while  it  failed  to  seriously  annoy 
him,  did  awaken  his  profound  mortification  that  in  his  profes- 
sion such  narrow-mindedness  and  illiberality  could  be  found. 

"Life  with  Dr.  Lente  meant  work;  to  him  it  was  full  of 
achievable  possibilities.  Indefatigable  as  a  student,  retiring 
late  and  rising  early,  he  turned  to  profit  the  midnight  hours. 
Mere  physical  fatigue  was  no  excuse  with  him  for  mental  inac- 
tivity. So,  when  his  tired  limbs  refused  to  carry  him,  often 
have  I  found  him,  late  at  night  or  in  the  early  morning,  bol- 
stered in  his  bed,  surrounded  with  his  books  and  periodicals. 

"All  that  he  did  was  done  with  rare  thoroughness.  Dis- 
daining ostentatious  display,  and  depreciating  superficially, 
the  purpose  of  his  studies  was  to  make  himself  the  master  of 
his  subject.  Access  to  his  thoughts  meant  more  than  mere  in- 
tellectual acquaintance.     His  mind  was  a  living   Thesaurus  of 


^^...i/^ST^^^a^^ 


// 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  259' 

information,  facts,  and  theories,  gathered  with  great  discrimina- 
tion from  the  widest  domains  of  science  and  the  arts.  And 
yet,  studeat  as  he  was,  his  studies  never  led  him  into  devious 
and  idle  speculation.  He  was  extremely  practical  in  all  he  did. 
Physicallj'  delicate,  but  with  powers  of  endurance  that  were 
phenomenal,  with  an  energy  that  was  untiring,  and  a  devotion 
to  duty  that  was  sublime,  he  brought  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession a  mind  of  richest  and  most  varied  acquisitions,  an  ex- 
perience that  was  remarkable  for  its  variety  and  scope,  and 
a  heart  ever  mellowed  with  kindliness  and  good  cheer.  As  a 
diagnostician  he  was  painstaking,  thorough,  and  exact.  Hap- 
hazard diagnosis  he  deplored,  and  no  opportunity  for  brilliant 
display  ever  tempted  him  into  the  hasty  expression  of  an  im- 
mature opinion.  As  a  therapeutist,  his  intimate  acquaintance 
with  drugs  and  his  extensive  studies  in  physiological  medica- 
tion made  him,  at  once,  skillful  and  distinguished.  As  a  prac- 
titioner, his  fertility  of  expedients  is  illustrated  in  numerous 
inventions,  formulee,  and  instruments  in  general  professional 
use.  In  the  widest  sense  of  the  word  he  was  the  good  physi- 
cian— skillful,  devoted,  self-sacrificing.  Indifferent  to  his  own 
infirmities,  and  oblivious  of  his  personal  comfort,  he  brought 
to  his  patient's  relief  a  strong  brain,  a  ripe  experience,  a  tender 
heart.  As  a' scholar,  he  was  an  active  or  honorary  member  of 
most  of  the  leading  societies.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
an  early  president  of  the  American  Academy  of  Medicine,  and 
a  frequent  contributor  to  current  popular  or  professional  journ- 
alism. Whatever  came  from  his  pen  commanded  attention. 
His  most  important  contributions  were  his  papers  on  'The 
Treatment  of  Intermittent  Fever  by  the  Hypodermic  Injection 
of  Quinine,'  '  The  Sedative  Action  of  Calomel  in  Disease,'  'Intra- 
uterine Medication.'  etc. 

"Dr.  Lente  was  born  in  Newbern,  N.  C,  in  1823.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  University  of  North  Carolina  in  1845.  He  studied 
medicine  in  the  office  of  our  distinguished  confrere.  Professor 
Alfred  C.  Post,  and  graduated  from  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  New  York  University  in  1849.  During  the  following  two 
years  he  served  as  house  sui'geon  under  Valentine  Mott  in 
the  New  York  Hospital.  In  1851,  having  been  appointed  sur- 
geon to  the  West  Point  Foundry,  the  doctor  removed  to  Cold 
Spring,  where,  in  1853,  he  married  Mary,  the  accomplished 
daughter  of  William  Kemble,  Esq. 


260  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"  Mrs.  Lente,  one  son  and  three  daughters  survive  him. 

"Dr.  Lente' s  professional  career  at  Cold  Spring  was  one  of 
remarkable  success.  His  reputation  as  consultant  and  surgeon 
reached  literally  from  New^  York  to  Albany.  So  highly  prized 
were  the  practical  advantages  of  Dr.  Lente' s  office  that  a  popu- 
lar question  among  New  York  and  Bellevue  Hospital  men 
once  was:  'After  leaving  the  hospital,  is  it  Cold  Spring  or 
Europe.'  ^ 

"  In  1870  the  doctor  received  and  accepted  the  appointment 
as  professor  of  gynaecology  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
New  York  University  and  assistant  surgeon  to  the  Women's 
Hospital.  After  a  year's  arduous  service  in  the  city,  inter- 
rupted by  numerous  professional  calls  up  the  Hudson,  he  re- 
tiarned  to  his  former  home,  where  he  continued  in  active  prac- 
tice until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  seek  a  more  genial 
climate. 

"  Relinquishing  a  lucrative  practice,  he  betook  himself  to 
Palatka,  Fla.,  for  the  winter,  and  to  Saratoga  for  the  summer 
months. 

"  It  was  at  the  latter  place,  and  after  a  season  of  unusual 
activity  and  fatigue,  that  he  was  taken  ill  with  cerebro- spinal 
meningitis.  Fortunately  he  was  able  to  return  to  his  family  at 
Cold  Spring,  where,  on  the  11th -of  October,  in  the  sixtieth 
year  of  his  age,  he  peacefully  breathed  his  last. 

"And  thus  ends  the  record  of  a  noble  man.  He  dignified  his 
manhood  by  his  consistent  Christian  life,  and  to  his  profession 
he  added  luster  and  renown." 

Dn.  Ika  Henophan  Walker  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Conn., 
in  1810.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Seth  Shove  of  Bedford, 
Westchester  county,  N.  Y.,  commencing  about  1830  or  1831. 

March  6th,  1835,  he  was  licensed  to  practice  medicine  by  the 
Connecticut  Medical  Society,  and  March  1st,  1836,  he  graduated 
from  Yale  College.  In  February,  1836,  he  came  to  Carmel,  and 
began  practice.  In  August,  1837,  he  was  commissioned  surgeon's 
mate  of  the  61st  Regiment  of  Infantry  of  the  State  Militia,  by  Hon. 
William  L.  Marcy,  governor  and  commander-in-chief  of  all  the 
militia  at  our  city  of  Albany,  the  10th  of  August,  1837.  Dr. 
Walker  in  his  profession  stood  above  the  average  of  his  con- 
temporaries, and  was  highly  esteemed  in  social  circles.  During 
his  brief  medical  life  he  was  an  honor  to  the  profession,  and 
the  community  in  which  he  lived. 


GENERAL  HISTOEY.  261 

He  died  in  Carmel,  N.  Y.,  of  typhoid  fever,  in  1839,  at  the 
age  of  29  years.  His  only  surviving  relative  so  far  as  known  is 
Emily  Walker  Sloat,  only  child  of  Dr.  Walker,  and  wife  of 
William  H.  H.  Sloat  of  Carmel  village.  Mrs.  Sloat  has  three 
children,  one  son  and  two  daughters. 

Dk.  Edward  B.  Turner  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Delaware 
county,  I^.  Y.,  May  5th,  1851,  where  he  received  his  preliminary 
education. 

After  reading  medicine  for  a  time  in  the  office  of  two  or 
three  practicing  physicians,  he  attended  his  first  course  of 
lectures  at  Harvard  Medical  College  in  1872  and  1873. 

He  graduated  at  Bellevue  Medical  College  in  1874.  Soon 
after  graduating  he  settled  in  Montrose,  Westchester  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  in  practice  two  years,  when  on  ac- 
count of  threatened  failure  of  his  health,  he  removed  to  Lake 
Mahopac  in  May,  1876.  He  remained  there  with  varying 
changes  of  health  until  his  death  which  occurred  Angust  2d, 
1885,  at  the  age  of  34  years. 

Of  his  success  as  a  practitioner,  and  his  judgment  as  a  physi- 
cian it  may  be  said  that  he  was  above  the  average.  In  medical 
practice  he  was  seldom  found  in  the  wrong  and  in  surgery 
he  possessed  unusual  tact  and  ability. 

Dr.  Joseph  Hayward  Bailey  was  born  in  Fredericktown, 
Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  October  20th,  1803.  He  studied  medi- 
cine with  his  father,  Dr.  Rowland  Bailey,  and  graduated  at 
Rutger  Medical  College,  New  York  city,  in  1827.  From  1827 
to  1830  he  practiced  medicine  in  Kent  with  his  father.  He  then 
went  to  New  York  city  where  he  practiced  with  his  brother 
Benjamin  Bailey  until  1834,  when  he  was  appointed  assistant 
surgeon  U.  S.  Army.  He  retired  from  active  service  in  1862. 
He  died  at  Kent  Cliffs  in  1882  at  the  age  of  79  years. 

Dr.  Daniel  Bull  was  a  practicing  physician  in  the  South 
Precinct  of  Dutchess  county  as  early  as  1772.  During  the 
Revolution  he  was  a  tory  and  was  one  of  the  meti  who  were 
arrested,  and  whose  papers  were  signed  by  Col.  Ludington  by 
order  of  the  Provincial  Congress.  He  had  a  daughter,  Cornelia, 
who  married  Joseph  C.  Field,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1803. 

Dr.  John  Hamilton  was  a  physician  and  was  living  on  south 
side  of  Lake  Mahopac  at  "  Hoquets  Point"  in  1780.  No 
further  mention  is  made  of  him. 


262  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Dr.  Joseph  Crane.     See  history  of  Crane  family. 

Dr.  J.  Q.  Adams'  was  born  in  Rushford,  Alleghany  connty, 
N.  Y.,  December  31st,  1827.  When  six  months  old  he  went 
with  his  parents,  John  and  Huldah  Adams,  to  the  old  home- 
stead in  Cavendish,  Windsor  county,  Vt.,  where  his  grand- 
father, Timothy  Adams,  was  then  living.  This  family  is  de- 
scended from  Henry  Adams  who  came  from  England  in  1640 
with  seven  sons,  and  from  them  are  descended  the  illustrious 
family  of  that  name  whose  names  and  deeds  are  no  small  part 
of  our  nation's  history. 

The  early  education  of  Dr.  Adams  was  obtained  at  Black 
River  Academy,  Ludlow,  Vt.,  and  in  the  spring  of  1848  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  Lowell  of  Chester, 
Vt.  Here,  to  use  his  own  expression,  he  remained  until  October, 
spoiling  the  doctor's  spatulas  by  heating  them  in  the  stove  to 
spread  plasters  with,  breaking  his  graduated  measures,  and 
wasting  his  medicines  by  blunders  in  making  pills.  He  then 
went  to  the  Vermont  Medical  College  at  Woodstock,  and  re- 
mained one  year.  In  the  summer  of  1849  he  attended  a  course 
of  lectures  at  Berkshire  I/Tedical  College,  Pittstield,  Mass.,  and 
in  the  autumn  went  to  New  York  and  matriculated  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  attended  lectures 
and  hospital  practice  two  years.  In  1852  Dr.  Adams  went  as 
surgeon  on  the  ship  "  Henry  Clay  "  to  England,  and  while  the 
vessel  remained  in  j)ort  he  embraced  the  opportunity  to  increase 
his  knowledge  of  the  profession  by  attending  lectures  and  hos- 
pital practice. 

Upon  returning  to  New  York  he  practiced  for  a  few  months 
and  through  an  accidental  acquaintance  he  was  induced  to  come 
to  Carmel  in  the  early  part  of  1853,  and  decided  to  make  that 
place  his  permanent  residence. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  found  Dr.  Adams  prompt 
to  aid  in  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  in  Aagust,  1862,  he  was 
appointed  surgeon  of  the  172d  Regiment  N.  Y.  Volunteers,  then 
organizing  at  Yonkers. 

This  regiment,  however,  failed  to  complete  the  number  of 
men,  and  was  consolidated  with  another  which  was  already 
supplied  with  a  surgeon,  and  the  doctor  was  relieved  in  con- 
sequence. 

He  then  went  to  visit  friends  at  Fort  McHenry,  Baltimore, 

■By  Wm.  S.  Pelletreau. 


A./4). 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  263 

and  from  that  place  went  to  the  army  then  between  Falmouth 
and  Bell  Plain,  Va.  In  January,  1863,  he  returned  to  Wash- 
ington, and  applied  to  the  War  Department  for  a  position  in  the 
U.  S.  Volunteer  Corps  of  snrgeons.  His  application  was  suc- 
cessful, and  he  was  appointed  to  duty  in  Finley  Hospital  in 
Washington.  In  due  time  he  was  commissioned  assistant  sur- 
geon with  the  rank  of  1st  Lieut,  from  the  27th  day  of  February, 
1863.  The  commission  was  signed  by  Abraham  Lincoln  and  the 
doctor  justly  considers  it  as  one  of  his  choicest  treasures  from 
the  labor  it  cost  to  obtain  it  and  to  execute  its  duties,  and  for 
the  signature  of  the  illustrious  man  attached  to  it. 

In  April,  1863,  he  was  ordered  to  report  for  duty  to  Brig. 
Gen.  Carleton,  commanding  the  Department  of  New  Mexico  at 
Santa  Fe.  Accordingly  he  travelled  by  rail  to  Kansas  City,  and 
then  embarked  on  an  old  fashioned  thorough  brace  stage 
drawn  by  four  horses,  and  with  nine  passengers  as  companions, 
started  on  a  long  and  dangerous  journey  of  1,300  miles.  At  11 
o'clock  at  night  they  were  startled  by  a  summons  to  halt,  and 
found  themselves  surrounded  by  a  band  of  Quantrell's  Gruerillas. 
The  passengers  were  quietly  ordered  to  alight,  and  were  soon 
dispossessed  of  their  many  valuables,  excepting  one  woman 
whom  the  brigands  chivalrously  allowed  to  depart  with  all  her 
property,  unharmed,  while  the  male  passengers  were  held 
prisoners  in  a  dry  goods  store  of  which  the  guerillas  had  taken 
possession.  The  doctor's  profession  was  no  protection  to  him, 
and  his  trunk  was  quickly  pillaged,  and  all  the  contents  scat- 
tered, and  divided  among  the  "Jay  Hawks,"  as  this  class  of 
robbers  were  then  called.  After  being  left  in  durance  vile  for 
two  hours  they  were  released  by  the  departure  of  the  guerillas, 
who  took  with  them  the  stage  horses,  and  the  driver  was  com- 
pelled  to  borrow  more,  and  on  resuming  their  journey  they 
found  at  the  next  station  a  Union  soldier  who  had  been  shot  by 
the  gang  and  was  dying.  At  another  place  they  found  a  house 
where  the  inmates  had  been  compelled  to  provide  food  for  the 
robbers  and  were  then  robbed  of  what  little  they  possessed. 

After  a  succession  of  such  adventures  he  at  length  reached 
Santa  Fe,  and  reporting  to  the  general  he  was  assigned  to  duty 
at  the  military  post  of  Los  Cruces,  and  proceeded  thither  by 
stage  a  distance  of  300  miles,  and  arrived  on  the  1st  of  June, 
finding  the  hospital  a  large  and  commodious  building,  and  the 


264  HISTOKY    OF   PUTNAM    COUNTY. 

place  one  of  comparative  comfort  after  his  hardships  and  trials, 
although  the  mercury  rose  to  110  degrees  every  afternoon. 

At  this  place  he  remained  five  months,  and  on  the  1st  of 
November  vs^as  ordered  to  report  to  Capt.  Whitlock,  command- 
ing at  Quince  River,  seventy-five  miles  from  Los  Cruces,  and  on 
the  divide  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Here  he  found  many 
things  of  interest  while  investigating  the  ruins  that  remained 
of  the  vanished  race  of  the  Aztecs. 

In  September  1864,  he  was  ordered  to  accompany  an  expedition 
with  200  men  under  Col.  Davis  through  the  southern  borders  of 
Arizona,  and  the  northern  part  of  Mexico.  On  this  expedition 
they  spent  two  months,  and  upon  their  return  he  was  ordered 
to  Fort  Stanton,  where  he  remained  until  July,  1865.  It  was 
here  that  he  heard  of  the  death  of  President  Lincoln,  one  month 
after  its  occurrence.  In  July,  1865,  he  was  ordered  to  Fort 
Bliss,  Texas,  and  reported  in  August.  While  here  he  received 
the  commission  of  brevet  surgeon  with  rank  of  major,  dated 
March  13th,  1865.  December  9th,  1865,  the  war  being  ended,  he 
was  discharged  from  the  service.  Returning  to  Los  Cruces  he 
engaged  in  i)rivate  practice  until  the  last  of  March,  1866,  and 
then  set  out  on  horseback  with  a  merchant  train  for  the  States, 
and  after  a  difficult  and  perilous  journey  reached  Kansas  City 
and  in  June  came  to  Washington,  D.  C. 

In  November,  1866,  Dr.  Adams  returned  to  Carmel  and  re- 
sumed his  practice  which  he  has  since  continued. 

He  married  Miss  Sarah  L.  Spaulding  of  Proctorsville,  Vt., 
August  15th,  1853;  she  died  in  December,  1867. 

In  February,  1870,  he  was  married  a  second  time  to  Miss 
Helen  Y.  Smith  of  Chester,  Vt.  Their  children  were:  John 
Quincy  Adams,  born  March  26th,  1878,  and  Florence,  born  No- 
vember 28th,  1880.     The  latter  died  July  7th,  1881. 

Dr.  Adams  is  a  jarominent  member  of  the  Putnam  County 
Medical  Society  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  In  his  practice  in  this  county  he  is 
popular  and  enjoys  a  large  share  of  the  public  confidence  and 
esteem. 

He  is  surgeon  of  Crosby  Post,  No.  302,  G.  A.  R. ;  a  Master 
Mason,  and  now  holds  the  office  of  junior  warden  in  the  lodge; 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and  holds  the  office  of  scribe  in  the" 
chapter;  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a  thirty-two  degree  Mason, 
being  a  member  of  four  bodies  of  Ancient  Scottish  Rite  Masonry, 


:>  tq     a  3    HaU'.i  Scr.i,  N  T 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  265 

meeting  in  the  Masonic  Temple  of  New  York  State,  in  New- 
York  city. 

Dr.  Addison  Ely,  of  Carmel,  N.  Y.,  was  born  at  Westfield, 
Mass.,  in  1814,  and  was  a  son  of  Elihu  Ely  and  grandson  of 
Captain  Levi  Ely  of  West  Springfield,  Mass.,  who  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Mohawk  in  October,  1780,  in  the  Revolutionary 
War. 

Dr.  Ely,  after  obtaining  an  academical  education  at  Green- 
ville, N.  Y.,  and  Williamstown,  Mass.,  and  pursuing  the  usual 
course  of  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Abbott  of  Westfield, 
Mass.,  Dr.  Baily  of  Kingston,  JST.'j.,  and  Dr.  J.  S.  Fountain,  of 
Yorktown,  N.  Y.,  and  attending  a  course  of  lectures  at  the 
Berkshire  Medical  College,  Mass.,  was  licensed  to  practice 
medicine  and  surgery  by  the  Massachusetts  State  Medical 
Society. 

He  afterward  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  N.  Y.,  at  the  N.  Y.  Hospital,  etc. 

After  practicing  for  three  years  in  New  York  city  he  located 
in  Carmel  in  1838,  where  by  his  devotion  to  his  profession  and 
his  success  as  a  general  practitioner — particularly  in  diseases  of 
the  chest  and  diseases  of  children — he  secured  an  extensive 
practice  which  he  was  able  to  retain  until  age  and  impaired 
health  prevented  his  attending  to  it.  Dr.  Elj''  was  for  fifteen 
years  examining  surgeon  for  the  U.  S.  Pension  Department,  and 
for  many  years  physician  to  the  County  Almshouse,  and  is  now 
one  of  the  censors  of  the  County  Medical  Society.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1834  to  Hannah,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Rachel 
(Osborn)  Wright,  of  Somerstown,  Westchester  county,  N.  Y., 
with  whom  he  is  still  living  in  Carmel. 

Dr.  Nathan  W.  Weeler,  who  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  physicians  of  Patnam  county,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Easton,  Fairfield  county.  Conn.,  December  22d,  1815.  His  pa- 
rents, Nathan  and  Clorine  Wheeler,  were  of  Scotch  descent, 
the  family  having  come  to  this  country  about  1760. 

Dr.  Wheeler  was  educated  at  Easton  Academy,  where  he  was 
a  student  under  the  well  known  Rev.  S."  Irenaeus  Prime,  D.  D. 

His  medical  studies  were  begun  under  the  direction  of  his 
uncle.  Dr.  William  Wheeler,  who  practiced  at  Merrick,  Long 
Island,  and  he  graduated  from  the  Berkshire  Medical  College 
in  1887. 

He  commenced  practice  at  Newton,  Conn.,  where  he  remained 


266  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

three  years,  and  then  removed  to  Southeast,  Putnam  county, 
where  he  practiced  two  years. 

Dr.  Wheeler  came  to  Patterson  in  December,  1842,  and  has 
ever  since  continued  in  that  place  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

For  many  years  he  resided  on  the  farm  belonging  to  his 
father-in-law,  and  afterward  purchased  it.  It  is  now  the  prop- 
erty of  Kent  Henion,  Esq.  The  present  residence  of  Dr. 
Wheeler  is  in  the  village  of  Patterson.     It  was  built  in  1860. 

Dr.  Wheeler  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Dr.  David  Howland, 
a  prominent  physician  of  the  last  generation.  Their  children 
are  Carrie,  wife  of  Edward  Doane,  Esq.,  and  Isabel,  wife  of 
James  Cornwall,  Esq.,  of  Patterson.     The  former  died  in  1881. 

Dr.  Wheeler  is  a  member  and  supporter  of  the  Episcopal 
church  of  Patterson,  and  has  long  been  identified  with  it.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Putnam  County  Medical  Society,  and  one 
of  its  reorganizers.  For  four  years  he  was  its  president,  and 
the  first  delegate  to  the  State  Society.  Dr.  Wheeler's  long  and 
active  practice  has  made  him  familiar  to  the  people  over  a  wide 
extent  of  country,  while  his  skill  and  ability  are  attested  by 
his  undeniable  and  well  recognized  success. 

Dr.  Jonathan  F.  Seeley.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of 
Doansburg,  and  a  half  mile  north  of  the  line  between  South- 
east and  Patterson,  is  an  old  homestead  and  farm,  formerly  the 
residence  of  Abijali  Seeley,  who  was  born  in  Trumbull,  Conn., 
March  10th,  1777,  and  came  to  this  county  about  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century.  He  set  up  his  trade  as  a  blacksmith, 
and  also  purchased  a  large  farm  at  what  is  now  known  as 
"Deuel  town,"  a  hamlet  near  the  south  line  of  Patterson,  the 
place  being  now  owned  by  John  Steinbeck.  Mr.  Seeley  after- 
ward purchased  the  homestead  mentioned  above,  and  made  it  his 
home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  August  4th, 
1861,  at  the  age  of  84. 

Mr.  Seeley  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Hopkins, 
February  26th,  1801.  She  was  born  August  3d,  1783,  and  died 
March  9th,  18.'58.  The  children  of  this  marriage  were:  Jeremiah 
H.,  Thomas  P.,  Mary,  wife  of  David  Tompkins  of  Cayuga 
county,  N.  Y.;  Dr.  Johathan  F.,  Eliza,  Belinda,  Euphemiaand 
Francis  A.  The  only  members  of  this  family  now  living  are 
Mrs.  Tompkins  and  Dr.  Jonathan  F.  Seeley,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 


(^o^.j".^  Aj. 


'CC^ 


_^^^^,,,^^      ^,;4i&l^^-cri^^  '>hj^^ 


tLnqi  tni  MB  Sails  Suns,  Nsw'yo-rh 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  267 

Dr.  Jonathan  F.  Seeley  was  born  on  the  old  homestead,  May 
29th,  1809.  When  a  boy  he  attended  the  public  school  and  was 
afterward  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Russell  J.  Minor,  who  was  well  known 
as  an  instructor  of  the  youth  of  the  past  generation.  After 
leaving  school,  he  became  a  teacher  and  served  in  that  capacity 
for  several  years,  in  New  Fairfield,  Conn.,  York  town  and  East 
Fishkill. 

Dr.  Seeley  began  his  medical  studies  with  Dr.  James  Foun- 
tain, of  Yorktown,  Westchester  county,  who  was  quite  famous 
as  a  physician.  In  1833,  he  entered  the  Medical  College  of 
Fairfield,  Herkimer  county,  N.  Y.,  and  was  licensed  to  practice 
in  1834.  Dr.  Seeley  began  to  practice  at  Yorktown  and  re- 
mained till  1846,  when  he  removed  to  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  and  re- 
linquishing his  profession,  engaged  extensively  in  farming.  His 
parents  having  deceased.  Dr.  Seeley  returned  in  1866  to  his 
native  town,  and  has  continued  to  reside  on  the  old  homestead 
till  the  present  time.  On  this  place,  the  home  of  their  child- 
hood, Dr.  Seeley  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Tompkins,  pass  their 
time  in  quiet  usefulness,  good  and  worthy  representatives  of  a 
family  of  the  old  New  England  race. 

Dr.  Seeley  married  Martha,  daughter  of  Abraham  Van  Gel- 
der,  of  New  York;  she  died  in  1877.  Their  daughter,  Isabella, 
died  in  the  11th  year  of  her  age. 

Mr.  David  Tompkins,  who  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Abijah 
Seeley,  was  a  native  of  Yorktown,  Westchester  county.  He  re- 
moved to  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y.,  about  1836,  and  died  there  in 
1878.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Amanda,  Helen 
Gr.,  wife  of  Ezekiel  Elting;  and  William  S.,  all  deceased.  The 
only  representative  of  this  family  is  Mr.  William  Elting,  son  of 
Ezekiel  Elting,  and  who  is  now  living  on  the  old  homestead  with 
Dr.  Seeley  and  his  grandmother. 

Austin  La  Monte,  M.  D.,  well  known  as  a  skillful  and  ex- 
perienced member  of  the  medical  profession,  was  born  in  Char- 
lotteville,  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  April  23d,  1837. 

His  father,  Thomas  W.  La  Monte,  married  Elizabeth  Maria 
Paine,  and  Dr.  La  Monte  is  the  youngest  of  six  brothers.  The 
ancestor  of  the  family  was  Eobert  La  Monte,  who  came  origin- 
ally from  Scotland  and  the  doctor's  great-grandfather,  William 
La  Monte  (born  1750,  died  1847),  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. At  the  age  of  sixteen,  the  death  of  his  father  deprived 
him  of  parental  care. 


268  HISTOEY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

After  pursuing  the  usual  branches  taught  in  the  public  schools, 
he  entered  the  New  York  Conference  Seminary  and  subse- 
quently stiidied  medicine  under  the  instruction  of  his  uncle, 
Dr.  William  La  Monte.  He  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan  in  1859,  and  graduated  in  1861. 
Dr.  La  Monte  established  his  practice  at  Hyde  Park,  Dutchess 
county,  where  he  remained  nine  years. 

After  removing  from  that  place,  he  passed  a  short  period  in 
travel,  and  came  to  Carmel,  in  January,  1871,  where  he  com- 
menced a  practice  which  he  has  continued  till  the  present  time. 
While  at  Hyde  Park  he  became  connected  with  the  Dutchess 
County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  now  an  honorary  mem- 
ber, and  upon  coming  to  Carmel  was  made  member  of  the  Put- 
nam County  Medical  Society  and  is  still  connected  with  that 
organization.  He  married  Miss  Sarah  Berry,  daughter  of  Peter 
N.  Berry,  of  Dutchess  county.  Since  making  his  home  in 
Carmel  he  has  gained  a  wide  extended  practice,  and  a  well 
merited  reputation  as  a  skilled  practitioner. 

Robert  La  Monte,  the  ancestor  of  the  family,  was  born  in 
1725,  and  died  in  1789,  at  North  Hillsdale,  Columbia  county, 
N.  Y.,  and  is  buried  there. 

Dr.  GrEORGE  Wilson  Murdock  was  born  at  Pulaski,  Oswego 
county,  N.  Y.,  September  25th,  184R.  His  paternal  ancestors 
were  of  Scotch  origin,  and  early  settlers  in  Vermont,  where 
they  were  well  known  in  its  history.  His. great-grandfather 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  died  while  in 
service  at  Crown  Point.  Dr.  Burdock  graduated  from  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  New  York  city,  in  1867. 
He  was  student  of  medicine  with  the  late  Doctor  James  L. 
Little,  of  New  York  city.  He  afterward  associated  in  practice 
for  some  years  with  the  late  Dr.  F.  D.  Lente,  of  Cold  Spring, 
N.  Y.  He  has  been  in  active  practice  at  Cold  Spring  for 
eighteen  years,  and  surgeon  to  the  West  Point  Foundry  for 
twelve  years.  He  was  president  of  the  Putnam  County  Medical 
Society  from  1881  to  1884,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  New 
York  Sate  Medical  Association.  He  was  hospital  steward  of 
the  1st  Minnesota  Cavalry. during  the  Indian  Campaign  in  1863, 
under  G-eneral  Sibley;  also  hospital  steward  and  afterward 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  15th  Michigan  Infantry  in  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee.  He  was  married  October  12th,  1875,  to  Miss 
Mary  Paulding,  daughter  of  P.  Kemble  Paulding,  Esq.,  of  Cold 


GENERAL   HISTORY. 


269 


Spring,  N.  Y.,  and  grand-daughter  of  James  K.  Paulding.     He 
is  widely  known  as  a  successful  and  skillful  physician. 

Dr.  Jared  G.  Wood  was  born  in  Katonah,  Westchester 
county,  N.  Y.,  April  7th,  1835.  He  was  educated  at  Union 
Academy,  Bedford,  and  at  the  New  York  Normal  School, 
graduating  from  the  latter  institution  July  13th,  1854.  He 
studied  medicine  at  the  Medical  College  of  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York  and  took  his  degree  in  1861.  He  first 
practiced  at  Croton  Falls  and  in  August,  1862,  he  received  the 
unanimous  appointment  of  the  Examining  Board,  as  surgeon  of 
the  135th  Kegt.  N.  Y.  S. 

Upon  retiring  from  the  army  he  returned  to  Croton  Falls  and 
came  to  Brewster  in  April,  1883,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
practicing  in  that  village. 

Dr.  Wood,  while  engaged  in  teaching,  was  instrumental  in 
founding  the  first  teachers'  association  in  Ms  county,  in  1854. 
He  is  an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Knight  Templar, 
chaplain  and  ex-surgeon  of  Crosby  Post,  G.  A.  E,.,  and  as  a 
physician  enjoys  a  large  practice.  His  grandfather.  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Wood,  was  a  surgeon  in  the  Revolution.  Dr.  Wood  mar- 
ried Miss  Marie  Antoinette,  daughter  of  Harrison  Pardee,  in 
1867.     She  died  in  1885,  leaving  one  son,  Edward  M. 

Lewis  H.  Miller,  A.M.,  M.D.,  a  well  known  and  prominent 
member  of  the  medical  profession,  was  born  in  Bedford,  West- 
chester county,  N.  Y.,  March  16th,  1852.  His  parents,  Horace 
and  Hannah  Miller,  were  residents  of  that  town,  and  repre- 
sentatives of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the  county.  Dr. 
Miller  remained  at  home  attending  the  public  schools  and  the 
Bedford  Academy,  till  1870,  when  he  entered  the  Freshman  class 
at  Madison  University.  He  graduated  in  1874  with  the  degree 
A.B.,  and  received  the  degree  A.M.  from  the  same  institution  a 
few  years  later. 

For  several  years  after  leaving  college  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching  and  as  a  civil  engineer.  Resolving  to  study  for  the  medi- 
cal profession  he  commenced  with  Dr.  Seth  Shove,  entered  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York,  and  graduated 
in  1880  after  nearly  four  years  study.  He  commenced  practice 
in  the  town  of  Patterson,  where  he  remained  nine  months,  and 
returning  to  New  York,  practiced  in  a  New  York  hospital  for 
four  months. 
In  1881  he  came  to  Brewster  and  established  a  practice  which 


70  HISTORY   OF   PtJTNAM   COUNTY. 

he  has  since  continued,  and  has  made  this  village  his  permanent 
home. 

Dr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Putnam  County  Medical  Society, 
and  a  delegate  to  the  State  Medical  Society.  His  practice,  which 
has  steadily  increased,  now  embraces  a  wide  circuit  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  his.  success  in  his  profession  is  the  result 
of  careful  preparation  and  earnest  effort.  Dr.  Miller  is  the  sur- 
geon of  the  Tilly  Foster  Mining  Company,  and  also  for  the  New 
York  &  New  England  and  New  York  &  Northern  Railroad 
Companies.  His  skill  has  been  demonstrated  in  the  successful 
performance  of  several  very  complicated  and  dangerous  surgi- 
cal operations,  as  well  as  in  his  treatment  and  management  of 
the  most  malignant  form  of  the  epidemic  diseases.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  order  and  chapter,  is  connected  with 
the  Baptist  Church  of  Brewster,  and  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  society.  He  was  married  in  November,  1885,  to  Miss  Flor- 
ence Mansfield,  of  Brooklyn,  L.  I. 

Dr.  Edson  Card,  jr.,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  fire  sons, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Stanford,  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y., 
January  14th,  1856.  His  father,  Edson  Card,  sen.,  a  native  of 
Columbia  county,  took  a  very  active  part  in  the  Anti  rent  Asso- 
ciation that  existed  between  1839  and  1847,  and  that  received 
satisfactory  rights  by  the  election  of  Gov.  John  Young  in  1846, 
the  anti-rent  candidate. 

His  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Silas  Miller,  Esq.,  of  Columbia 
county,  and  relative  of  the  Hon.  Theodore  Miller  of  same 
county,  now  judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals.  A  brother  next 
older  occupies  an  honorable  position  in  the  TJractice  of  law  in 
the  city  of  Poughkeepsie. 

His  eldest  brother,  attorney  and  counsellor  at  law,  with  the 
Hon.  Homer  A.  Nelson,  in  New  York  city,  has  established  a 
wide  spread  reputation  as  an  orator  of  great  ability  and  mag- 
netism, and  is  nowiAssemblymau  from  the  Sharon  District  in 
the  State  of  Connecticut. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  at  the  age  of  15  was  placed  under  the  special 
instruction  of  Hon.  Edgar  A.  Briggs  of  Dutchess  county,  and 
continued  there  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  Briggs  (who  was  then  the  school  commissioner 
of  the  2d  District  of  that  county)  a  license  to  teach  in  the  public 
schools  of  Dutchess  county;  which  vocation  he  followed  for 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  271 

five  years  with  credit  to  himself  and  all  concerned,  having  under 
his  care  at  different  times  the  largest  public  schools  in  the 
county  managed  by  a  single  instructor,  but  his  taste  ran  to  the 
science  of  medicine,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  placed  himself 
under  the  instruction  of  Dr.  J.  P.  Wilson,  of  Pleasant  Valley, 
Dutchess  county,  1^?.  Y. 

Here,  under  Dr.  Wilson,  he  continued  for  three  years,  at  the 
same  time  continuing  his  vocation  as  teacher  in  the  public 
schools.  At  the  age  of  23  he  removed  to  New  York  city  and 
entered  the  Medical  Department  of  Columbia  College;  here  he 
jiursued  the  regular  course  of  study  marked  out  by  the  faculty 
of  said  college,  coming  up  for  examination  in  half  his  studies 
at  the  end  of  the  second  year,  and  the  remaining  half  at  the 
end  of  the  third  year.  Thus  at  the  age  of  26  he  graduated,  and 
received  his  diploma  on  the  16th  day  of  May,  1882,  as  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon.  During  his  college  course  he  was  assistant 
to  the  following  professors  in  their  different  branches  of  in- 
struction: Jno.  C.  Dalton  and  J.  Gr.  Curtis,  professors  on 
physiology;  Alonzo  Clark  and  Francis  Delafield,  jjrofessors  on 
practice  of  medicine ;  and  Jas.  W.  McLane,  professor  on  ob- 
stetrics; under  all  of  whom  he  gained  full  confidence,  and 
received  letters  of  commendation. 

During  his  vacation  in  the  summer  of  1880,  he  was  employed 
in  the  drug  store  of  Charles  H.  Bowne,  in  the  city  of  Pougli- 
keepsie,  and  during  his  vacation  in  the  summer  of  1881,  he  en- 
tered the  oflBce  of  Dr.  D.  Guernsey,  of  Amenia,  Dutchess 
county,  N.  Y.,  as  a  student  and  practicing  physician  under  his 
direction.  During  the  six  months  that  he  remained  here  he 
gained  scores  of  friends  and  was  chosen  superintendent  of  the 
Presbyterian  Sabbath  school,  and  the  community  in  general 
expected  that  on  graduating  he  would  return  there  to  settle; 
but  he  decided  that  the  field  was  already  well  covered  there 
and  began  immediately  to  look  about  for  some  other  place  to 
follow  his  chosen  profession.  Finally  deciding  upon  Lake 
Mahopac  he  removed  thither  July  13th,  1882,  and  now  enjoys  a 
satisfactory  practice  both  from  the  people  in  the  surrounding 
vicinity  and  also  from  the  city  people  who  annually  visit  this 
most  delightful  summer  resort. 

His  residence  is  now  at  the  Thompson  House.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  denomination  since  1874,   and 


272  HISTORY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

has  held   the  office  of  superintendent  of  Sabbath  school   at 
different  times  and  places. 

Dk.  James  Hadden  was  born  in  Putnam  Valley,  September 
19th,  1827.  His  father,  Samuel  Hadden,  and  grandfather,  Wil- 
liam Hadden,  were  residents  of  the  county  He  received  his 
primary  education  at  the  public  schools  of  Patnam  county  and 
at  Union  Academy,  Bedford,  Westchester  county.  In  1861,  he 
graduated  from  the  New  York  Medical  College,  receiving  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  G.  Travis, 
of  Kent,  and  Dr.  John  McKenney,  of  Illinois.  He  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  New  York  city,  and  continued  until 
1862,  when  he  joined  the  95th  Regiment,  as  surgeon,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  service  till  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned 
to  New  York  city.  In  1880,  he  removed  to  Patnam  Valley, 
Putnam  county,  where  he  has  continued  to  practice  until  the 
present  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the 
City  of  New  York. 

Ernest  Hebersmth,  M.  D.,  son  of  Rev.  Orsamus  H.  Smith, 
for  many  years  rector  of  Christ  Church,  Patterson,  was  born  in 
Rensselaerville,  Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  20th  of  January, 
1840. 

He  was  educated  chiefly  by  his  father,  until  his  twelfth  year, 
when  he  was  sent  to  the  Balston  Spa  Institute.  He  prepared 
for  college  at  the  Cheshire  Academy,  Cheshire,  Conn.,  and  en- 
tered Hobart  College,  Gfeneva,  N.  Y.,  in  1857. 

He  began  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  N.  W.  Wheeler, 
of  Patterson,  and  graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  of  New  York,  in  the  spring  of  1861.  He  was  at 
that  time  a  resident  interne  of  Bellevue  Hospital  and  re- 
mained until  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
when  he  entered  the  U.  S.  Navy  as  assistant  surgeon,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  principal 
service  was  under  Admiral  Farragut.  He  was  present  at  the 
capture  of  New  Orleans  and  Mobile,  and  took  part  in  nearly  all 
the  battles  fought  under  that  great  captain,  and  in  the  blockade 
of  the  Grulf  porfs.  He  was  once  severely  wounded  in  the  face 
and  hand,  for  which  he  was  granted  a  pension  in  1883. 

After  resigning  from  the  navy  in  1865,  he  settled  in  New 
Orleans,  engaged  in  private  practice,  and  was  immediately  ap- 
pointed acting  assistant  sui'geon  in  the  U.  S.  Array.  He  was 
assigned  to  duty  at  the  military  hospitals  in   that  city,  and  as 


GENEEAL   HISTORY.  273 

attending  surgeon  upon  officers  and  officers'  families  in  the  city. 
At  one  time  during  the  yellow  fever  epidemic  of  1867,  he  was 
for  a  week  the  only  one  of  five  medical  officers  attached  to  a 
large  military  hospital  able  to  keep  his  feet,  the  other  four,  one 
of  whom  was  his  brother,  Orsamus,  being  down  with  the  fever. 
The  following  year  an  epidemic  of  cholera  taxed  the  medical 
officers  almost  as  severely,  and  the  hospitals  were  discontinued. 

His  services  being  no  longer  required,  he  resigned  from  the 
army  and  was  soon  after  put  in  charge  of  the  U.  S.  Marine  Hos- 
pital Service,  at  New  Orleans.  He  was  transferred  to  the  charge 
of  the  same  service  at  New  York  in  1871,  and  in  1879  was 
transferred  to  the  charge  of  the  same  service  in  San  Francisco, 
v?here  he  finally  resigned  all  government  service  in  1881. 

Returning  to  Patterson  in  1882,  he  engaged  in  the  private 
practice  of  his  profession  and  is  now  associated  with  Dr.  J.  Sut- 
cliffe  Hill. 

THE   MEDICAL   SOCIETIES    OF   PTJTlSrAM   COUNTY. 

Very  little  can  be  learned  of  the  old  Medical  Society  of  Put- 
nam county.  The  earliest  positive  date  is  1828,  when  Dr.  Aaron 
Carman  of  the  town  of  Carmel  became  a  member.  Dr.  Edward 
Crosby,  who  practiced  in  Carmel  later,  says  that  his  uncle,  Noah 
H.  Crane,  used  to  say  that  Dr.  Fletcher  (probably  Ebenezer 
Fletcher)  of  Patterson,  was  the  last  president,  and  he  died  in 
1852.  Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  present  society,  Dr. 
Edward  Crosby  was  appointed  to  look  up  the  records  and  seal 
of  the  old  society.  He  reported  that  he  had  made  strict  search 
but  nothing  could  be  found. 

The  present  County  Medical  Society  was  formed  in  1874.  July 
7th,  an  informal  meeting  was  held  in  the  parlor  of  the  Grleneida 
Hotel,  Carmel,  N.  Y.  Present:  J.  H.  Smith,  N.  W.  Wheeler, 
A.  Ely,  E.  Crosby,  J.  Q.  Adams,  A.  La  Monte,  M.  A.  Bailey 
and  Fred.  W.  Bennett.  J.  H.  Smith  was  elected  chairman  and 
M.  A.  Bailey,  secretary.  The  chairman  stated  the  object  of  the 
meeting  and  discussion  followed.  A  resolution  was  passed  to 
meet  at  the  Gleneida  Hotel  July  28th,  1874,  at  12  M.,  for  the 
purpose  of  forming  a  County  Medical  Society,  and  it  was  signed 
by  the  eight  physicians  present. 

July  28th,  1874,  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  physicians  of 
Putnam  county  was  held  in  the  parlor  of  the  Gleneida  Hotel. 
Present:  Dr.  Aaron  Carman,  of  Lake  Mahopac,  Dr.  Edward 
18 


274  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Crosby,  of  Mahopac  Palls,  Dr.  Joseph  H.  Bailey,  of  Kent  Cliffs. 
Dr.  M.  A.  Bailey,  of  Kent  Cliffs,  Dr.  N".  W.  Wheeler,  of  Pat- 
terson, Dr.  A.  La  Monte,  of  Carmel,  Dr.  J.  Q.  Adams,  of  Car- 
mel.  Dr.  A.  Ely,  of  Carmel,  and  Dr.  E.A.  Hobbs,  of  Patterson. 
The  following  officers  were  elected:  Joseph  Howard  Bailey,  of 
Kent  Cliffs,  president;  Edward  Crosby,  of  Mahopac  Falls,  vice 
president;  Matthew  Arbuckle  Bailey,  of  Kent  Cliffs,  secretary; 
John  Homer  Smith,  of  Brewster,  treasurer;  Austin  La  Monte, 
of  Carmel,  Ezra  Allen  Hobbs,  of  Patterson,  John  Quincy  Adams, 
of  Carmel,  censors;  Nathan  William  Wheeler,  of  Patterson, 
delegate  to  State  Medical  Society. 

A  motion  to  appoint  a  committee  of  three  to  draft  a  constitu- 
tion and  by  laws  was  then  made  and  carried.     The  president  ap 
pointed  as  such  committee,  Drs.  J.  Q.  Adams,  J.  H.  Smith  and 
M.  A.  Bailey.     On  motion  adjourned  to  meet  on  the  11th  of 
August,  at  2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  same  place. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  on  the  11th  of  August,  nine 
members  were  present.  A  constitution  and  by  laws  were  offered, 
read  and  adopted  by  articles. 

At  the  eighteenth  regular  meeting  of  the  society,  held  Octo- 
ber 28th,  1879,  the  subject  of  incorporation  came  before  the  so- 
ciety, it  having  been  discovered  that  it.  was  not  legally  incor- 
porated. A  committee  consisting  of  M.  A.  Bailey  and  N.  B. 
Bayley  was  appointed  to  ascertain,  and  report  at  the  next  meet- 
ing what  steps  were  necessary  to  legally  incorpoi-ate  the  society. 

At  the  nineteenth  regular  meeting,  held  January  27th,  1880, 
the  committee  on  incori^oration  reported  that  it  would  be  nec- 
essary for  the  incorporation  of  the  society  to  meet,  and  hold 
our  next  annual  meeting  in  the  room  in  the  Court  House  in 
Carmel  in  which  the  County  Court  had  held  its  last  session.  A 
motion  was  made  that  the  next  annual  meeting  be  held  in  the 
Court  room  of  the  county  of  Putnam.     Motion  carried. 

The  sixth  annual  meeting  was  accordingly  held  in  the  Court 
House,  and  on  account  of  the  importance  of  the  business  trans- 
acted at  that  meeting  the  following  copy  from  the  minutes  is 
given: 

"  Pursuant  to  due  notice  given,  the  following  physicians  and 
surgeons,  residing  in  Putnam  county,  State  of  New  York, 
authorized  by  law  to  practice  medicine  and  surgery,  met  to- 
gether at  11  o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  Tuesday,  July  27th,  1880,  in  the 
room  in  the  County  Court  House  in  the  village  of  Carmel,  being 


GENERAL   HISTORY.  275 

the  place  where  the  last  term  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
next  previous  to  such  meeting  was  held  in  Putnam  county. 

"Present:  Drs.  Nathan  Wm.  Wheeler,  of  Patterson,  John 
Homer  Smith,  of  Brewster,  Norman  Brigham  Bayley,  of 
Brewster,  Matthew  Arbuckle  Bailey,  of  Carmel,  Austin  La 
Monte,  of  Carmel,  John  Quincy  Adams,  of  Carmel,  Edward 
Crosby,  of  Carmel,  George  Wilson  Murdock,  of  Philipstown. 

"  Dr.  N.  W.  Wheeler  was  elected  temporary  chairman.-  Dr. 
N.  B.  Bayley  was  elected  temporary  secretary.  Dr.  M.  A. 
Bailey  moved  that  we  proceed  to  organize  a  County  Medical 
Society  by  the  election  of  officers  to  serve  one  year. 

"  The  following  officers  were  elected:  President,  Dr.  N.  W. 
Wheeler;  vice-president,  Dr.  Geo.  W.  Murdock;  secretary,  Dr. 
N.  B.  Bailey;  treasurer.  Dr.  A.  La  Monte;  censors,  J.  H. 
Smith,  Edward  Crosby,  J.  Q.  Adams. 

"  The  above  minutes  are  placed  on  file  in  the  county  clerk's 
office  in  the  county  of  Putnam,  State  of  New  York,  as  required 
by  law  in  order  to  complete  legal  organization  of  the  Putnam 
County  Medical  Society. 

"Dr.  M.   A.  Bailey  offered  the  following  resolution: 

"Resolved  that  all  the  acts  and  proceedings  of  the  organiza- 
tion known  as  the  Putnam  County  Medical  Society  since  the 
date  of  the  organization,  July  28th,  1874,  be  accepted  and  de- 
clared binding  upon  this  society  which  has  now  been  organized 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

"  This  resolution  was  seconded  by  Dr.  Edward  Crosby  and 
unanimously  adopted." 

Charter  Members: 

John  Quincy  Adams,  M.  D.;  Joined  July,  28th,  1874;  born 
Rushford,  Alleghany  Coiinty,  N.  Y.,  December  31st,  1827; 
graduated  University  Medical  College,  New  York  city, 
March  5th,  1853;  residence,  Carmel;  censor,  1874,  1875,  1880; 
vice-president,  1876,  1877,  1878,  1881,  1882,  1883;  president, 
1884,  1885;  delegate  to  State  Medical  Society,  1880  to  1884; 
became  a  member  State  Medical  Society  in  1884;  late  brevet 
major  and  surgeon  U.  S.  Vol.  Corps. 

Joseph  Howard  Bailey,  M.  D.,  U.  S.  A.;  joined  July  28th, 
1874;  born  in  Fredericktown,  Dutchess  county,  N.  Y.,  October 
20th,  1803;  graduated  from  Rutger  Medical  College,  New  York 
city  in  1827;  appointed  assistant  surgeon  U.  S.  Army  in  1834; 
retired  from  active  service  in  1862;  residence,  Kent  Cliffs,  Put- 


276  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

nam  county,  N.  Y. ;  president  Putnam  County  Medical  Society 
in  1874  and  1875. 

Matthew  Arbuckle  Bailey,  M.  D.;  joined  July  28th,  1874; 
born  at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  December  21st,  1844;  graduated 
from  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York  city  in 
1871;  secretary  from  1874  to  1878  inclusive. 

Aaron  Carman,  M.  D. ;  joined  July  28th,  1874;  born  in  Phil- 
ipstown,  Putnam  county,  February  25th,  1798;  graduated  from 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York  city.  May 
25th,  1822;  residence  Lake  Mahopac. 

Edward  Crosby,  M.  D.;  joined  July  28th,  1874;  born  in  South- 
east, Putnam  county,  N.  Y.,  June  22d,  1812;  graduated  at  the 
JefEerson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1840;  residence, 
Mahopac  Falls;  vice-president,  1874;  censor  from  1877  to  1879 
inclusive. 

Nathan  William  Wheeler,  M.  D.;  joined  July  28th,  1874;  born 
Weston,  Fairfield  county.  Conn.,  December  22d,  1815;  graduated 
from  Berkshire  Medical  College,  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  June  12th, 
1838;  residence,  Patterson,  Putnam  county,  N.  Y. ;  delegate  to 
State  Medical  Society  from  1874  to  1876  inclusive,  and  resigned 
as  such  April  24th,  1877;  president  from  1876  to  1880  in- 
clusive. 

Austin  La  Monte,  M.  D.;  joined  July  28th,  1874;  born  in 
Ciarlotteville,  Schoharie  county,  N.  Y.,  April  23d,  1837;  gradu- 
ated from  the  University  of  Michigan  Medical  College  in  1861 ; 
residence,  Carmel,  Putnam  county,  N.  Y. ;  censor  1874  to  1877 
inclusive  and  in  1885;  treasurer  from  1877  to  1885  inchisive; 
delegate  to  the  State  Medical  Society  from  1877  to  1880. 

Addison  Ely,  joined  July  28th,  1874;  born  at  Westfield,  Mass., 
in  1813;  licensed  by  the  Massachusetts  State  Medical  Society 
in  1834;  residence  Carmel,  Putnam  county,  N.  Y. 

Ezra  Allen  Hobbs,  M.  D.;  joined  July  28th,  1874;  graduated 
from  Bowdoin  Medical  College,  Maine,  in  1869;  censor  1874, 
1875  and  1876;  withdrew  from  the  society  October  30th,  1877, 
and  went  to  South  Framingham,  Mass. 

Frederic  William  Bennett,  M.  D.,  joined  July  28th,  1874; 
graduated  from  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  New  York 
city,  in  1873;  residence,  Brewster,  Putnam  county,  N.  Y.;  with- 
drew January  23d,  1877,  and  went  to  Newark,  N.  J. 

John  Homer  Smith;  born  at  Washington,  Litchfield  county. 
Conn.;  joined  July  28th,  1874;  licensed  by  the  Dutchess  County 


GENERAL  HISTORY.  277 

Medical  Society;  treasurer  in  1874,  1875,  and  1876;  censor,  1879 
to  1884,  inclusive;  residence,  Brewster,  Putnam  county,  N.  Y. 

Meetings: — Annual,  fourth  Tuesday  in  July;  semi-annual, 
fourth  Tuesday  in  January. 

Officers  July  21st,  1885: — J.  Q.  Adams,  president;  S.  A. 
Wood,  vice  president;  L.  H.  Miller,  secretary;  A.  La  Monte, 
treasurer;  censors,  A.  Ely,  A.  La  Monte,  N.  W.  Wheeler;  dele- 
gate to  State  Medical  Society,  L.  H.  Miller. 

Members: — John  Q.  Adams,  Carmel,  N.  Y.;  Norman  B. 
Bayley,  Haverstraw,  Kockland  county,  N.  Y. ;  J.  Edson  Card, 
jr.,  Lake  Mahopac,  N.  Y.;  Edward  Crosby,  Mount  Kisco, 
Westchester  county,  N.  Y.;  Addison  Ely,  Carmel;  Walter  A. 
Jayne,  Cold  Spring;  Austin  La  Monte,  Carmel;  Louis  H.  Miller, 
Brewster;  Geo.  W.  Murdock,  Cold  Spring;  Nathan  W.  Wheeler, 
Patterson;  Samuel  A.  Wood,  Ludingtonville;  William  Young, 
Cold  Spring;  number  of  members,  12. 

Honorary  members: — Henry  Pearce,  Pawling,  Dutchess 
county,  N.  Y.;  Ernest  Hebers,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


CHAPTER  XVm. 


EDUCATION. 


BY  JAMES  A.   FOSHAY. 


THE  present  condition  of  education  in  Putnam  county 
shows  a  spirit  of  improvement,  especially  in  the  larger 
districts  and  villages.  There  are  several  schools  that  deserve 
special  notice,  for  the  improvements  that  have  been  made  in  the 
modern  training  of  youth  is  illustrated  in  them,  and  excellent 
results  are  shov^n.  A  few  of  the  country  districts,  however,  do 
not  show  so  much  advancement.  The  "a  b  c  method"  of 
teaching  children  to  read  is  generally  abandoned  and  the  "  word 
method"  is  used  instead.  Pupils  are  taught  to  understand 
what  they  read,  instead  of  merely  pronouncing  the  words. 
Teachers  feel  the  responsibilities  of  dealing  with  plastic  minds, 
so  susceptible  to  impressions,  knowing  that  their  influences 
make  impressions  that  last  through  life.  There  is  no  depart- 
ment whose  influences  tend  to  suppress  vice  and  stimulate  vir- 
tue, as  the  department  of  public  instruction.  We  find  the 
school  houses  and  churches  side  by  side,  and  the  people  quite 
as  willing  to  support  the  one  as  the  other.  In  the  year  1885, 
there  was  raised  by  local  taxation,  for  the  benefit  of  schools, 
$22,602.47,  and  $9,158.21  was  received  from  the  State  school 
money;  making  $31,760.68.  There  is  a  steadily  growing  interest 
manifested  in  reference  to  our  system  of  public  education.  As 
the  people  are  educated  to  a  due  appreciation  of  the  import- 
ance of  good  schools,  so  the  schools  improve.  The  teachers  gen- 
erally are  zealous  and  industrious,  depending  more  on  them- 
selves and  less  upon  the  text-book  than  formerly.  Of  the 
seventy- three  teachers  now  employed,  four  are  licensed  by  State 
certificates,  eight  by  Normal  School  diplomas  and  sixty- three 
by  the  school  commissioner. 


GENERAL  HIBTOEY.  27& 

The  improvement  in  school  hoxises  is  an  evidence  of  progress. 
A  pleasant  room  of  projjer  size,  well-furnished  and  kept  neat,  is 
a  strong  educating  force,  and  sheds  forth  an  influence  for  good 
on  the  pupils.  The  people  realize  this;  and  for  several  years 
we  have  seen  new,  commodious  houses  being  built  to  take  the 
places  of  the  old  ones;  and  in  building  them  the  health  and 
comfort  of  the  pupils  were  consulted.  There  are  thirty-eight 
school  houses  that  are  new  or  in  good  repair;  sixteen  are  com- 
fortable; and  six  are  poor.  In  a  few  of  the  old  buildings  there 
still  remain  benches  for  seats,  one  desk  extending  the  side  of 
the  room,  so  that  the  pupils  must  face  the  walls.  It  is  pleasing 
to  note  that  the  number  of  buildings  of  this  class  is  growing- 
less  every  year.  There  are  fifty-five  frame  buildings  and  five 
brick  buildings. 

The  local  school  officers,  as  a  rule,  are  faithful  and  earnest  in 
the  performance  of  their  duties  and  gratuitous  work;  and  mani- 
fest much  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  schools.  Forty-one  dis- 
tricts have  one  trustee  each,  eighteen  districts  have  three  trus- 
tees each,  and  one,  the  Union  Free  School  District  at  Garrisons, 
has  five  trustees. 

Full  success  in  school  work  cannot  be  attained  while  we  have 
irregular  attendance.  It  disorganizes  classes  and  makes  extra 
work  for  the  teachers  in  many  ways.  There  were  3,057  names 
enrolled  during  the  year  1885.  There  were  nine  private  schools^ 
with  an  enrollment  of  114  pupils,  taught  during  the  year  1885. 

The  best  means  of  special  preparation  for  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  our  teachers  is  the  Teachers'  Institute.  It  brings  to  the 
attention  of  teachers,  by  persons  of  rare  ability,  the  latest  and 
best  experience  in  education  and  school  government.  The  time 
and  place  for  holding  the  institute  are  designated,  and  the  in- 
structors are  assigned  by  the  State  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction. The  sessions  are  usually  in  May  and  continue  one 
week. 

The  Putnam  County  Teachers'  Association  was  organized 
May  24th,  1882,  with  Mr.  Frank  H.  Greene  as  president;  which 
office  he  has  continued  to  hold.  Papers  and  addresses  have 
been  presented  by  the  best  teachers  of  the  county,  and  discussed 
by  members  of  the  association.  The  meetings  of  this  associa- 
tion are  held  semi-annually  in  different  parts  of  the  county, 
thus  affording  opportunities  for  all  to  attend.  These  meetings; 
are  very  useful  to  the  younger  teachers  who  receive  methods 


280  HISTOEY   OF   PUTNAM   COUKTY. 

and  suggestions  from  those  who  have  had  experience  in  the 
work. 

There  seems  to  be  a  general  disposition  to  comply  with  Chap- 
ter 30  of  the  Laws  of  1884;  "An  act  in  relation  to  the  study 
of  physiology  and  hygiene  in  public  schools."  Soon  after  the 
passage  of  this  act  School  Commissioner  Foshay  issued  a  cir- 
cular to  teachers,  also  one  to  trustees,  calling  attention  to  the 
act.  Reports  show  that  the  study  was  taught  in  nearly  every 
school. 

In  the  apportionment  of  the  State  school  money  for  1886,  the 
•'district  quota,"  or  amount  to  be  given  for  each  teacher  in 
the  county  is  $66.12,  an  increase  of  $21.28  over  the  year  1885. 
This  increase  is  the  result  of  the  provision  in  Chapter  340  of 
the  Laws  of  1885,  changing  the  basis  of  apportionment.  This 
is  a  very  desirable  change,  as  it  aids  the  country  districts 
especially. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


TOWN  OF  CARMEL. 


REVISED  BY  BEV.    W.    S.    CLAPP. 


Settlement  and  Early  History. — ^Village  of  Carmel. — Lake  Gleneida. — Carmel 
Collegiate  Institute  and  Drew  Ladies'  Seminary. — Carmel  Literary  Union. — 
Railroad. — Bank. — Newspapers. — The  GUead  Church. — Rev.  Daniel  D.  Sahler. 
— Gilead  Burying  Ground.  — James  Raymond. — Mount  Carmel  Baptist  Church. 
— Rev.  William  S.  Clapp. — Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


THE  town  of  Carmel  includes  the  southern-  half  of  Lots  5 
and  6  of  the  Phillpse  Patent.  It  Is  bounded  north  by- 
Kent,  east  by  Southeast,  south  by  Westchester  county,  and 
west  by  Putnam  Valley.  A  small  portion  of  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  town  was  annexed  to  Putnam  Valley  in  1861. 

The  earliest  account  of  a  settlement  in  this  town  is  derived 
from  the  Hamblin  family.  In  the  year  1739  Eleazar  Hamb- 
lin,  with  his  family,  left  Cape  Cod  to  seek  a  home  in  New  York. 
On  his  way  he  stopped  at  the  house  of  John  Hazen  in  Nor- 
wich. He  concluded  to  leave  his  family  there  and  to  go  for- 
ward himself  to  find  a  suitable  place  for  settling.  On  his 
return  he  found  that  his  daughter,  Sarah,  had  married  Caleb 
Hazen,  the  son  of  his  host.  His  son-in-law  went  with  him  and 
both  settled  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Carmel.  Eleazar 
Hamblin  made  his  home  on  the  present  homestead  farm  of  Ira 
Crane,  and  here  he  lived  and  died.  The  house  stood  about 
fifteen  rods  south  of  Mr.  Crane's  residence.  Caleb  Hazen  settled 
at  what  has  ever  since  been  called  Hazen  Hill,  about  a  mile 
southwest  of  the  village  of  Carmel.  The  old  homestead  stood 
near  the  bank  of  the  west  branch  of  Croton  River,  where  the 
house  of  Mrs.  William  H.  Baxter  now  stands.  Near  this  place 
he  had  in  later  years  a  forge  and  a  small  furnace  for  melting 
iron.     Traces  of  this  furnace  may  still  be  seen. 


282  HISTORY  or  putnam  county. 

In  the  statement"  of  Nimham,  the  Indian  sachem,  it  is  seen 
that  many  persons  settled  at  an  early  date  on  the  eastern  part 
of  Philipse  Patent  as  tenants  of  the  Indians  who  claimed  the 
land,  or  by  their  permission.  The  affidavit  of  Timothy  Shaw' 
furnishes  a  very  reliable  list  of  some  of  the  early  settlers.  Among 
these  was  George  Hughson,  who  settled  at  the  north  end  of 
Lake  Mahopac  about  1740  and  probably  on  the  farm  which  was 
held  by  his  son,  Kobert  Hughson,  at  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  was  bought  by  him  from  the  commissioners  of  for- 
feiture in  1782. 

About  1741  William  and  Uriah  Hill  came  to  the  place  after- 
ward known  as  Red  Mills  and  began  to  clear  a  tract  of  land 
purchased  of  the  Indians.  Uriah  is  said  to  have  made  himself 
obnoxious  to  his  dusky  neighbors  and  was  obliged  to  leave. 
William  continued  here  and  in  1765  purchased  of  Roger  Morris 
and  Mary  his  wife  the  tract  on  which  he  had  made  a  settlement, 
and  part  of  which  is  owned  by  his  descendants  at  the  present 
time. 

Timothy  Shaw'  made  his  home  at  the  north  end  of  the  lake 
which  from  him  took  the  name  of  Shaw's  Pond,  which  it  con- 
tinued to  bear  till  modern  times,  when  it  was  changed  to  the 
more  romantic  and  musical  title  of  Lake  Gleneida.  As  in  his 
affidavit  made  in  1767  he  states  that  he  was  well  acquainted 
with  all  the  settlements  that  had  been  made  in  these  parts 
within  twenty-five  years,  it  is  evident  that  he  must  have  been 
here  as  early  as  1742,  and  he  doubtless  has  the  honor  of  being 
the  first  settler  in  the  present  village  of  Carmel. 

The  Myrrick  family  were  also  here  at  an  early  date,  though 
the  first  of  whom   anything  definite  is  known  were  Isaac*  and 

'See  Chapter  on  Wappinger  Indians. 

'See  Chapter  on  Population. 

^In  an  old  burying  ground  on  the  Belden  farm,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Lake 
Gleneida,  and  where  the  slaves  of  the  Belden  family  were  buried,  is  a  small 
enclosure  surrounding  a  single  grave  and  a  head  stone  recording  the  death  of 
Deborah  Shaw,  who  died  May  5th,  1834,  aged  84.  She  was  a  white  woman  who 
lived  with  several  families.  She  requested  to  be  buried  in  that  place  because,  as 
she  said,  "my  ancestors  lie  there."  It  is  probable  that  she  was  a  daughter  of 
Timothy  Shaw  and  that  a  family  burying  place  was  there  in  early  times. 

*  Isaac   was  born  about  1740,   and  died  in  May,  1813.      He  msu'ried  Sarah, 

daughter  of  Caleb  Hazen.     Their  children  were:  Jemima,  wife  of Green; 

David,  born  December  18th,  1768,  died  1863;  John,  born  1770,  died  1813;  Aris- 
tobulus,  born  1774,  died  1850;  Samuel,  born  1778,  died  1812;  Ada,  wife  of  Thomas 
Smith;  Mary;  Naomi,  wife  of  Foster  Finch;  Ezra,  and  Sarah. 


TOWN   OP   CAEMEL.  283 

David  Myrrick,  who  were  doubtless  of  a  second  generation.     A 
family  named  Tompkins  were  among  the  earliest  residents  in 
the  western  part  of  the  town,  north  of  Lake  Mahopac.     Wil 
liam  Wright,  a,  Scotchman,  lived  south  of  Carmel  village,  on 
the  present  farm  of  G-eorge  M.  Hughson. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  tima  of  the  settlement  and 
for  many  years  after,  the  Philipse  Patent  was  not  surveyed, 
and  these  early  inhabitants  were  simply  squatters  on  unoccupied 
land,  and  made  such  arrangements  with  their  Indian  neighbors 
as  they  could.  In  the  year  1754  the  patent  was  surveyed  and 
divided  into  lots,  and  Lot  6  (which  includes  the  eastern  part  of 
this  town)  fell  to  Philip  Philipse,  and  Lot  5  (which  includes 
the  western  part)  fell  to  Mary  Philipse,  afterward  wife  of 
Roger  Morris.  These  two  portions  will  be  considered  sepa- 
rately. 

In  the  year  1762,  Lot  No.  6,  which  belonged  to  Philip 
Philipse,  was  surveyed  and  divided  into  farms  of  various  sizes 
and  leased  to  a  large  number  of  tenants,  most  of  whom  were  in 
actual  possession  at  that  time.  The  descendants  of  many  of 
these  tenants  are  to  be  found  here  at  the  present  day,  while 
some  families,  once  numerous,  have  moved  away  to  other  re- 
gions, or  become  extinct. 

Among  the  names  of  the  earliest  settlers  should  be  mentioned 
John  Spragg,  who  was  here  in  1745,  and  whose  house  stood  on 
the  east  line  of  the  lot,  where  the  residence  of  LeGrrand  Hugh- 
son  now  stands,  on  the  road  from  Carmel  to  Brewster.  A  man 
named  Wooden  had  a  mill  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Croton, 
while  another,  kept  by  one  Kellogg,  was  probably  on  what  was 
then  called  "  Mill  River,"  and  now  "Michael's  Brook."  And 
Silas  Washburn  also  had  a  mill  on  the  west  branch  of  the 
Croton. 

In  the  Field  Book  of  Survey  of  Lot  No.  6,  made  April  12th, 
1762,  by  Benjamin  Morgan,  the  following  persons  are  men- 
tioned as  living  on  that  part  of  the  lot  which  is  now  embraced 
in  the  town  of  Carmel:  Daniel  Taylor,  Samuel  Peters,  Abraham 
Mabie,  Daniel  Taylor,  Isaac  Lounsbury,  Joseph  Bates,  Thomas 
Baxter,  Thomas  Karl,  Solomon  Jenkins,  Daniel  Philips, 
Michael  Sloat,  Francis  Brian,  Thos.  Ferguson,  John  Craft, 
James  Sears,  Eleazar  Hamlin,  Caleb  Hazen,  James  Russell, 
Jesse  Smith,  Jonathan  Hubby,  Elisha  Oakley,  John  Granouug, 
Edward      Ganoung,      Joseph      Ganoung,     Russel     Gregory, 


284  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Joseph     Bates,      Timothy     Gregory,      Ebenezer     Robinson, 

— : Wooden, Kellogg,     James    Wilson,    Hannah 

Finch,  Nathaniel  Robinson,  John  Maybee,  William  Stone, 
Helkiah  Brown,  Philip  Ruflf,  John  Ruff,  Isaac  Peree,  Uriah 
Lawrence,  Abraham  Hartwell,  Caleb  Brundage,  Rev.  Elnathan 

Gregory,  Jeremiah  Huston,  Burbank,  John  Tompkins. 

Widow  Kerkins,  Thomas  Crosby,  John  Merrick,  Samuel  Lucas, 
Matthew  Bump,  Wheaten  Robinson,  Bethiah  Ballard,  Silas 
Washburn,  David  Merrick,  Seth  Merrick,  Moses  Fowler, 
Daniel  Townsend,  William  Merritt,  John  Sprages,  Josiah  Peck, 
Benjamin  Barber,  Samuel  Gates,  Isaac  Merritt,  Mercy  Hopkins, 
John  Barber,  Thomas  Philips,  Esq.,  Jonathan  Hopkins,  Robert 
Fuller,  Joseph  Barber,  John  Paddock,  Hezekiah  Mead,  David 
Barber,  Samuel  Peree,  William  Dean,  Hezekiah  Mead,  Abigail 
Terry,  Amos  Fuller,  Edsy  Baker,  Cornelius  Fuller,  John 
Travis,  Eleazar  Baker,  John  Purdy,  Edmund  Baker,  Wm. 
Rapelyea,  Benjamin  Weed,  Elisha  Baker,  Isaac  Smith. 

As  stated  before,  these  farms  were  leased  to  tenants.  One  of 
the  original  leases  is  yet  in  existence,  and  as  a  relic  of  antiquity 
it  is  here  given  in  full : 

"This  Indenture  made  the  Eighth  day  of  August  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-six.  Be- 
tween Philip  Philipse  of  the  City  of  New  York  of  the  one  part 
and  James  Dickinson  of  the  County  of  Dutchess  in  the  province 
of  New  York  of  the  other  part.  Witnesseth:  That  the  said 
Philip  Philipse  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  twenty 
pounds  current  money  of  New  York,  to  him  in  hand  paid  by 
James  Dickinson,  the  receipt  whereof  the  said  Philip  Philipse 
doth  hereby  confess  and  acknowledge,  and  also  in  considera- 
tion of  the  rent  and  Covenant  hereinafter  Reserved  and  Con- 
tained, he  the  said  Philip  Philipse  hath  granted,  Bargained, 
sold,  delivered,  enfeoffed.  Released,  Conveyed  and  Confirmed, 
and  by  these  presents  doth  grant,  bargain,  sell,  alien,  enfeoff. 
Release,  Convey  and  Confirm  unto  the  said  James  Dickinson 
and  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever.  All  that  Messuage  and  tract 
of  land.  Situate,  Lying  and  being  on  Philipse  Patent  in 
Dutchess  County  and  Province  of  New  York,  that  was  formerly 
in  possession  of  Thomas  Crosby.  Beginning  at  Shaw's  Pond  so 
called.  Running  Easterly  in  company  with  Silas  Washburn's 
farm  to  Saw  Mill  River,  from  thence  running  Southwardly 
down  said  river  in  company  with  Matthew  Bump's  farm,  so 


TOWN   or   CAKMEL.  285 

called,  to  Jeremiah  Hughson's  farm'  from  thence  running 
westwardly  in  company  with  Jeremiah  Hughson's  farm  to  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Elnathan  Gregory's  farm,"  from  thence  westwardly 
to  John  Merrick's  farm,  so  called,  from  thence  Northwardly  in 
company  with  John  Merrick's  farm  to  the  first  mentioned 
bounds.  Containing  two  hundred  and  ninety-two  acres.  In- 
cluding the  dwelling  houses,  barn  and  saw  mill,  orchards,  fences 
and  appurtenances  thereto  belonging.  Excepting  and  always 
reserving  unto  the  said  Philipse,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  all 
mines,  minerals  and  oares  of  metals  that  is  on,  or  shall  be 
found  or  discovered  in  or  upon  the  said  premises,  or  any  part 
thereof. 

"  To  Have  and  to  Hold  the  said  Messuage  and  premises  here- 
by granted  and  conveyed,  and  every  part  thereof,  with  the  ap- 
purtenances thereof,  except  as  excepted,  unto  the  said  James 
Dickinson,  his  heirs  and  assigns  to  the  only  proper  use  and  be- 
hoof of  the  said  James  Dickinson,  his  heirs  and  assigns  for 
ever.  Yielding  and  paying  therefor  yearly  and  every  year  unto 
the  said  Philip  Philipse,  his  heirs  and  assigns  the  rent  or  sum 
of  fourteen  pounds,  current  money  of  New  York  at  or  upon 
the  eighth  day  of  August  yearly  and  every  year  for  ever,  at  the 
dwelling  house  of  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  his  heirs  or  assigns 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  if  he  or  they  shall  reside  in  New  York 
or  at  such  other  place  in  the  City  of  New  York  as  the  said 
Philip  Philipse,  his  heirs  or  assigns  shall  by  writing  direct  and 
appoint,  or  if  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  his  heirs  or  assigns  shall 
not  reside  in  the  city  of  New  York,  or  shall  not  by  writing  di- 
rect and  appoint  any  place  in  the  City  of  New  York  for  pay- 
ment thereof,  then  and  in  such  case  the  said  reserved  rent  shall 
be  payable  on  the  said  granted  premises.  And  if  it  shall  hap- 
pen the  said  yearly  rent  and  payment  or  any  part  thereof  to 
be  behind  and  unpaid  in  part  or  in  all,  by  the  space  of  twenty 
days  next  after  the  said  time  limited  for  payment  thereof,  on 
which  the  same  ought  to  be  paid,  that  then  and  from  thence- 
forth it  shall  and  may  be  Lawfull  to  and  for  the  said  Philip 
Philipse,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  with  the  said  premises  with  the 
appurtenances,  or  with  any  part  thereof  in  the  Name  of  the 
whole  to  re-enter  and  the  same  to  have  again,  Reposess  and  en- 

'  Now  the  farm  of  Addison  Hopkins. 

''  Now  the  homestead  of  Lyman  Craft  (opposite  Gilead  burying  ground)  and 
land  adjoining. 


286  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

joy  as  his  or  their  former  estate,  this  present  indenture  or  any 
thing  therein  contained  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  And 
the  said  Philip  Philpse,  for  himself  and  assigns,  Doth  coven- 
ant and  grant  to  and  with  the  said  James  Dickinson,  his  heirs, 
and  assigns  that  for  and  notwithstanding  any  matter  or  thing  by 
him  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  done  or  committed  to  the  contrary, 
he  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  hath  good  right  full  power  and  law- 
full  authority  in  his  own  right  to  grant,  bargain,  sell  and  con- 
vey the  said  premises  above  mentioned  with  the  appurtenances 
unto  the  said  James  Dickinson,  his  heirs  and  assigns  to  the  only 
proper  use  and  behoof  of  the  said  James  Dickinson,  his  heirs 
and  assigns  forever,  according  to  the  true  Intent  and  meaning 
of  these  presents,  and  also  that  the  said  James  Dickinson,  his 
heirs  and  assigns  shall  and  may  from  time  to  time  and  at  all 
times  henceforth  forever  hereafter  by  and  under  the  said  rent 
of  fourteen  pounds  herein  contained,  peaceably  and  quietly  en- 
ter into  and  have,  occupy  and  enjoy,  all  and  singular  the  said 
Messuage  a,nd  premises  above  mentioned  with  all  the  appurten- 
ances, and  receive  the  profits  thereof  to  his  and  their  own  use, 
without  the  denial  of  him  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  his  heirs  or 
assigns,  or  any  other  persons  whatsoever  and  that  freed  from  all 
other  bargains  and  Incumbrances  whatsoever.  And  the  said 
James  Dickinson  for  himself,  his  heirs,  executors  and  admin- 
istrators Doth  covenant  with  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  his  heirs 
and  assigns  that  he  the  said  James  Dickinson  his  heirs,  execu- 
tors, administrators  and  assigns  shall  and  will  well  and  truly 
pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  to  the  said  Philip  Philipse,  his  heirs  or 
assigns  the  said  yearly  rent  of  fourteen  pounds  herein  contained 
and  reserved  according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  these 
presents  without  any  deduction,  abatement  or  imposition  of 
taxes  either  ordinary  or  extraordinary  whatsoever. 

'■'■In  Witness  Whereof  fhe  parties  to  these  presents  Inden- 
tures, have  interchangably  set  their  hands  and  seals  the  day 
and  year  lirst  above  written. 

"Philip  Philipse.  (L.  S.) 

' '  Sealed  and  delivered 
" in  the  presence 

"John    Dickinson, 

"  Daniel  Wright." 

Such  was  the  general  form  of  a  lease  at  that  time.  Of  course 
the  term  of  years  varied  in  different  cases  from  one  year  to 


TOWK   OP   OARMBL.  287 

perpetuity  as  in  the  above  case.  The  farm  thus  leased  includes 
the  land  where  the  railroad  station  at  Carmel  stands,  the  farm 
and  homestead  of  Henry  D.  Clapp,  the  grounds  of  the  Drew 
Ladies'  Seminary,  the  Gilead  Burying  Ground,  the  present 
Presbyterian  church  and  lands  adjoining.  The  north  line  of 
the  farm  starts  from  the  lake  at  the  south  line  of  the  school 
house  lot,  and  runs  east  along  the  north  line  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  lot,  the  lands  of  Daniel  W".  Robinson  and  Char- 
lotte Hopkins,  to  the  Michael's  Brook  or  Saw  Mill  River  as 
it  was  formerly  called.  It  ran  south  along  this  brook  to  the 
present  farm  of  Addison  J.  Hopkins,  then  west  to  the  old  road 
that  used  to  run  east  from  the  Grilead  Burying  Ground;  then 
along  the  old  "Horse  pound  road"  west  to  the  corner.  The 
farm  of  John  Merrick  lay  on  the  west  of  the  road  (which  ran 
some  distance  west  of  its  present  route)  and  is  now  owned  by 
George  W.  Hughson.  Upon  the  back  of  the  original  lease  was 
endorsed  the  following : 

"I,  James  Dickinson,  do,  for  value  received  assign  over  all 
my  right,  title,  claim  and  interest  in  the  within  lease  unto  John 
Wallace,  jr.,  and  Thomas  Huggeford  as  witness  my  hand  and 
seal  this  23  day  of  April  1774. 

"James  Dickinson." 

John  Wallace  transferred  his  interest  to  Mr.  Nathan  Pad- 
dock "  beginning  at  a  pile  of  stones  by  the  highway,  south  of 
the  house  of  James  Dickinson  and  running  east  16  chains  and 
30  links  to  a  pile  of  stones;  then  north  12  degrees,  west  20 
chains  and  60  links;  then  N.  77i  degrees  E.  to  the  saw  mill 
river;  then  up  the  stream  till  it  comes  to  Samuel  Washburn's 
farm;  then  westerly  by  Washburn's  farm  till  it  comes  to  John 
Merrick's  farm;  then  southerly  along  John  Merrick's  farm  to 
the  iirst  bounds,  containing  170  acres  more  or  less."  '  January 
7th,  1785. 

This  is  evidently  the  north  part  of  the  farm.  Thomas  Hug- 
geford "of  Fairfield  County,  Connecticut,"  transferred  all  his 
right  to  James  Dickinson,  jr.,  April  13th,  1775. 

A  deed  from  Frederick  Philipse  to  Elisha  Cole  dated  Decem- 
ber 2d,  1828,  recites  the  foregoing  lease,  and  goes  on  to  state 
that  the  farm  had  been  divided  and  sold  by  subsequent  owners, 
and  that  the  rent  had  been  charged  to  each  part.     The  north 

'  Original  document  in  possession  of  O.  W.  Cole,  Carmel.     See  Book  "  A  '  of 
Deeds,  page  166,  Putnam  County  Records. 


288 


HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 


part  of  the  farm  had  come  into  the  possession  of  Frederick 
Philipse  (who  was  the  heir  of  Philip  Philipse)  and  the  south 
part  had  come  into  the  possession  of  Elisha  Cole  whereby  he 
was  liable  for  the  annual  rent  of  seven  pounds,  and  by  this  deed 
Frederick  Philipse,  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  $291.60  cents, 
released  all  his  claim  on  the  south  half  of  the  farm  to  Elisha 
Cole,  with  the  following  reservations  : 

"  It  is  understood  that  the  right  to  collect  any  part  of  the  said 
rent  from  the  trustees  of  the  Gilead  meeting  house  or  society, 
or  to  distrain  for  the  same  upon  the  premises  occupied  for  the 
said  meeting  house  and  burying  ground  attached  thereto  is 


THE  PHILIPSE  MANOK  HOUSE. 

From  a  drawing  by  Chas.  H.  Ludington,  July  6th,  1846. 

hereby  reserved  by  the  said  Frederick  Philipse  to  himself  and 
his  heirs."  Upon  the  north  half  of  this  farm  stood  for  many 
years  a  house  said  to  have  been  built  by  Frederick  Philipse 
after  the  Eevolution,  and  in  this  mansion  he  resided  when  he 
came  to  visit  his  estate.  This  house  stood  on  the  east  side  of 
the  present  road  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  below  the  seminary. 
A  row  of  lilac  bushes  mark  the  spot  and  have  long  survived  the 
hand  that  planted  them,  and  they  are  all  that  is  left  to  remind 
the  traveller  that  there  stood  the  house  of  the  "Lord  of  the 
Manor."   ,  After  the  death  of  Frederick  Philipse  his  daughter, 


TOWN    OP   OARMEL.  289 

ICary,  with  her  husband,  Samuel  Gouverneur,  sold  to  Bllsha 
Cole  all  the  remaining  north  part  of  the  farm,  the  deed  being 
dated  February  1st,  1830". 

Elisha  Cole  remained  in  possession  of  the  greater  part  of 
these  tracts  until  the  time  of  his  death  which  occurred  July  19th, 
1851,  at  the  age  of  75.  After  some  changes,  the  larger  part  came 
into  possession  of  Daniel  Drew  and  is  now  owned  by  his  de- 
scendants. After  the  death  of  Philip  Philipse,  which  occurred 
in  1768,  Lot  6  fell  by  the  terms  of  his  will  to  his  wife,  Margaret 
(who  afterward  married  Rev.  John  Ogilvie)  and  his  surviving 
children;  Nathaniel,  Frederick  and  Adolph.  In  1771  a  parti- 
tion of  this  lot  was  made  among  these  heirs,  and  the  field  book 
of  survey  is  in  the  county  clerk's  office  at  Poughkeepsie,  while 
the  map  is  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  State.  The  partition 
was  made  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  an  act  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Legislature,  passed  January  9th,  1762,  "For  the  more 
effectually  collecting  his  Majesty's  Quit  Rents."  As  some  of 
the  heirs  were  minors  it  was  necessary  to  proceed  in  a  strictly 
legal  manner.  The  field  book  states  all  the  proceedings.  An 
advertisement  signed  by  Adolph  Philipse  was  printed  in  "  Hugh 
Gaine's  New  York  Gazette  and  in  John  Holt's  New  York  Jour- 
nal," or  the  "General  Advertizer,"  for  the  term  of  twelve 
weeks.  Two  of  the  commissioners  appointed,  Thomas  Belden 
and  Moss  Kent,  "  met  at  the  house  of  John  Swan,  Innholder 
at  Peekskill,"  and  Beverly  Robinson,  the  other  commissioner, 
not  appearing  they  adjourned  to  his  house,  where  they  were  all 
duly  sworn  by  Judge  Henry  Vandenburg.  On  October  17th,  1771, 
they  "  met  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Smith  on  said  lot."  The 
surveyor  was  Benjamin  Morgan,  who  had  divided  the  lot  into 
farms  in  1762,  and  the  chain  bearers  were  Samuel  Gregory, 
Jacob  Kniffen,  Isaac  Everitt,  Isaac  Ganung  and  John  Utter. 
The  first  thing  done  was  to  "  run  the  out  bounds  of  the  lot" 
and  as  this  locates  many  ancient  land  marks  it  is  given  in  full: 

West  Line.  "  Thursday  17  October  1771,  began  to  run  the 
out  bounds  Present,  Beverly  Robinson,  Thomas  Belden,  and 
Moss  Kent  Esqrs.     Began  at  a  stake  and  a  heap  of  stones  on 

'  An  old  house  stood  south  of  the  Philipse  mansion,  near  the  corner,  and  was 
owned  by  various  persons  who  in  turn  held  the  south  half  of  the  original  farm. 
About  1777,  Charles  Cullen,  who  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Eev.  Elisha  Kent 
and  aunt  of  Chancellor  Kent,  came  from  Milltown  in  Southeast,  and  lived  on  this 
place  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1784. 

19 


290  HISTOKY   OF  PUTNAM  COUNTY. 

top  of  a  hill  by  a  walnut  sappling,  marked  M.  P'.  on  the  west 
side  and  P.P.  on  the  east  side  and  1753  on  the  north  side,  which 
heap  of  stones  lyes  in  the  line  of  the  Manor  of  Cortland,  and 
is  also  the  southeasterly  corner  of  Lot  No.  5,  belonging  to  Col. 
Roger  Morris.  Then  ran  by  line  of  Lot  No.  5,  N.  9  degrees,  9 
minutes  E,  formerly  N.  10  E.  962  chains  46  links.  At  28  chains 
crossed  a  run  of  water;  runs  to  the  right;  at  33  crossed  a  road; 
at  34  Benj.  Thompson's  house;  3  chains  to  right;  at  83  crossed 
road;  at  84  crossed  Peter  Mabie's  house;  at  94,  ch.  42  1.  a 
hickory  sapling,  found  the  angle  to  contain  15  minutes;  then 
runs  N.  8,  54  E.  at  163.42  a  dead  tree,  in  Michael  Sloat's  field; 
at  179.85  a  hickory  tree;  thence  N.  8,48  E;  at  235  crossed  a  run 
of  water,  runs  to  right;  at  244  James  Beldens  house  50  links  to 
right;  at  246  crossed  Belden's  barn,  at  273  made  monument  of 
stones  on  south  side  of  road'  in  a  run  of  water  about  1  chain 
from  Gabriel  Carpenter's  house  on  lot  5,  at  276  crossed  Pish 
brook,  at  278  where  Dea.  Hamblin's  sa,w  mill  formerly  stood,  3 
ch.  to  right;  and  John  McLean's  house  4  ch.  to  right,  at  294 
James  Sear's  house  8  ch.  to  right,  at  308  Eleazor  Hamblins 
6  ch.  to  right,  at  357.50  crossed  brook  runs  to  right\  at  358 
Wm.  Meads  2  ch.  to  right,  at  387  black  oak  formerly 
marked,  at  391  a  red  ash  tree,  at  392  another  at  419  a  rock, 
corner  to  Jesse  Smith's  farm,  now  widow  Hall,  on  which 
we  laid  a  heap  of  stones,  at  436.80  crossed  the  west  branch  of 
Croton  River;  at  450  David  Frost's  house  3  ch.  to  right;  at 
452  a  barn  1  ch.  to  right,  at  452.75  a  fl.at  rock,  on  north 
side  of  road  marked  M.R.P.P*.  at  459  top  of  hill  (here  troubled 
with  mineral)  at  485  chestnut  tree,  at  492  a  steep  preci- 
pice of  rocks  at  bottom  of  which  we  marked  a  hickory  tree', 
at  511  came  to  Pine  Pond  brook,  at  517  crossed  brook,  runs  to 
right,  at  550  made  a  monument  of  stones  in  Charles  Townsend's 
field,  at  578  made  a  monument  of  stones  in  Robert  Fuller's  field 
on  a  large  flat  rock,  at  593  made  a  monument  of  stones  between 
2  white  oak  ti-ees  both  standing  on  the  S.W.  point  of  a  knoll 
and  S.W.  edge  of  swam^j,  at  602  came  to  an  island  in  swamp, 

'  These  letters  stand  for  Morris  and  Philipse. 

'This  is  on  road  from  Carmel  to  Lake  Mahopac,  at  the  Alvah  Hopkins  place, 
now  Townsend  Secor's  heirs,  a  short  distance  east  of  road  running  north  to  the 
Crane  Burying  ground. 

''This  is  at  the  house  of  James  Harvey  Reed,  on  road  to  Long  Pond. 

■•At  house  of  George  SmaUey,  on  road  to  Coles  Mills. 

''This  is  on  the  County  Alms  House  farm. 


TOWN   OF   CAKMEL.  291 

at  625  to  Pine  Pond  at  667  the  upper  end  of  pond,  at  700, 
monument  of  stones  in  south  edge  of  a  cleared  field,  at  722 
Daniel  Taylor's  house  1^  ch.  to  right,  at  760  a  cleared  field,  at 
780  a  heap  of  stones;  at  786  crossed  small  bronk,  runs  to  right 
at  790  another,  at  807  monument  of  stones  south  side  fence 
Jonathan  Dickinson's  field;  at  817  crossed  a  small  brook,  runs 
to  right  in  a  swamp,  at  947  a  black  oak  tree  on  top  of  a  high 
mountain,  in  all  962  chains,  46  links,  along  a  line  of  old  marked 
trees,  and  terminates  at  a  chestnut  oak  tree  on  north  side  of 
the  high  mountain  on  a  rock  25  links  S.  by  E.  from  where  the 
rock  makes  a  precipice  7  links  deep." 

North  Line.  "Begun  at  the  chesnut  oak  tree  and  run  N. 
86  deg.  E  formerly  N.  87  E;  at  13  chains  crossed  road  to  Fish- 
kill  on  east  side  of  which  we  made  a  monument  of  stones  round 
an  Alder  bush;  at  25  ch.  a  small  brook  running  to  right,  on  east 
side  of  swamp;  at  33  a  large  single  rock  in  the  line  on  west  de- 
clivity of  a  mountain,  13  links  high;  at  47  crossed  brook,  runs 
to  right;  at  60  made  monument  of  stones  on  west  side  of  hill 
and  edge  of  clear  field;  at  104  John  Russell's  house  4  ch.  to 
right;  at  121  crossed  small  brook,  runs  to  right;  at  123  another; 
at  164  Samuel  Barrads  house  4  ch.  to  left;  at  195  crossed  road; 
at  223  crossed  Campbells  brook',  runs  to  right;  at  242  crossed 
road,  in  all,  246,41  to  large  heap  of  stones  the  centre  of  which 
8  links  N,  63,30  E,  from  a  white  oak  tree  formerly  marked  with 
the  letters  P.R.  1753  and  have  now  caused  a  rock  to  be  marked 
with  the  letters  R.P.  distant  34  links';  being  the  N.W.  corner 
of  Lot  7  on  the  west  side  of  Bear  Hill." 

East  Line.  ' '  Began  at  the  corner  of  lot  7  at  the  heap  of 
stones  of  west  side  Bear  Hill,  and  ran  S.  9  deg.  W;  at  23.90 
'  made  a  monument  of  stones  on  west  side  of  road:  at  48  chains  in 
Campbell's  brook  on  north  side  made  a  monument  of  stones;  at 
49  Edward  Smith's  house  2  ch.  to  right;  at  64.14  two  black  oak 
trees,  three  stones  laid  between  them  now  grown  fast;  at  80  an 
old  monument  of  stones  4  1.  to  left;  at  103  David  Hill's  house, 
to  right;  at  140  made  a  monument  of  stones  on  S.  side  of  road 
to  FishkilP;  at  160.28  a  tree  on  top  of  mountain;  at  228.50  Benj. 

'This  is  the  brook  that  runs  by  the  railroad  station  at  Reynoldsville. 

'This  northeast  corner  of  lot  6  is  the  northwest  corner  of  the  land  of  Silas  Ab- 
bott at  Reynoldsville  station  in  town  of  Pawling  and  48  chains  north  of  where 
the  brook  crosses  the  road  south  of  station. 

^This  is  on  the  town  line  between  Kent  and  Patterson  about  50  rods  west  of  the 
school  house  in  District  No.  8,  Patterson. 


292  HISTOKY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

Hatch's  house  to  right;  at  240  a  meadow;  at  290  John  Wilson's 
house'  5  ch.  to  right;  at  320.46  a  monument  of  stones  10  1.  east 
which  is  the  south  west  corner  of  Lot  7,  and  N.W.  corner  of 
Lot  8;  at  401.38  a  monument  on  N.W.side  of  road  at  403  Joshua 
Conklin's  house  4  ch.  to  left;  at  500  a  stake  in  Edward  Rice's 
field;  at  S27  crossed  the  east  end  of  Gilbert  Clapp's  house;  at 
529  crossed  road;  at  539'  crossed  Rowland's  mill  brook;  at  544 
a  bend  of  brook,  at  552  a  monument  of  stones  on  N.E.  side  of 
road;  at  562  the  east  end  of  Wm.  Merritt's  barn  the  remains  of 
an  old  house  40  links  to  right;  at  640.69  the  hickory  sapling  on 
S.  side  of  hill  corner  to  lots  8  and  9';  at  665  Justice  Sprage's  old 
house  1  ch.  17  L.  west'  at  670  crossed  small  brook,  runs  to  left; 
at  691  David  Vickery's  2  ch.  to  right;  at  748  a  tree;  at  784  a 
tree;  at  800  the  east  end  of  John  Haines  house;  at  803  stones  on 
jST.  side  of  road;  at  816  John  Smith's  house,  3  ch.  to  left;  at  824 
crossed  brook;  at  881  Rowland's  mill  brook;  at  882  a  road;  at 
974  the  north  side  of  the  east  branch  of  Croton  in  line  of  Cort- 
land Manor." 

South  Line.  "  Began  at  corner  and  went  S.  88  W. ;  at  5  2  ch. 
crossed  the  west  branch  of  Croton;  at  54  crossed  road;  at  114.72 
a  large  stone  set  in  the  ground  between  the  lots  of  Mr.  Andrew 
Johnston  and  Samuel  Bayard  on  the  Manor  of  Cortland  shown 
by  Mr.  Hackaliah  Brown  to  be  in  the  Manor  line  1  ch.  17  L.  to 
left;  at  178,50  or  great  brook,  runs  to  left  on  east  side  of  a 
boggy  meadow;  at  210  a  tree,  in  all  239.50  to  the  beginning  heap 
of  stones,  which  course  is  novF  S.  87  W.  formerly  due  west, 
along  a  line  of  old  marked  trees." 

The  lot  was  then  divided  into  16  lots;  two  field  books  and 
maps  were  made.  One  of  the  field  books  is  in  the  county 
clerk's  ofiice  in  Poughkeepsie,  and  one  of  the  maps  is  in  the 
ofiice  of  the  secretary  of  State;  where  the  others  are  no  one 
knows.  The  notice  of  the  division  and  the  time  when  the  ballot- 
ing for  the  lot  was  to  be  done  were  "advertised  in  Hugh  Gaine's 
Newspaper  for  six  weeks."      The  balloting  was  on  the  4th  day 

'This  is  where  the  house  of  Lewis  G.  Robinson  now  stands,  in  town  of  Kent. 

^All  south  of  the  537  chain  is  in  the  town  of  Carmel.  "  Rowlands  mill  brook  " 
is  the  middle  branch  of  Croton. 

Tor  location  of  this  corner  see  sketch  of  Southeast. 

^This  is  where  the  house  of  LeGrand  Hughson  stands,  south  of  where  the  New 
York  &  Northern  R.  R.  crosses  the  road  near  town  line. 


TOWN   OF   CARMEL.  293 

of  February,  1771,  "at  the  house  of  Samuel  Francis,  Inn 
keeper  in  the  city  of  New  York."  On  balloting  Margaret 
Ogilvie  drew  Lots  1,  5,  10,  14;  J^'athaniel  Philipse  drew  Lots  4, 
6,  12,  15;  Adolph  Philipse  drew  Lots  2,  8,  11,  13;  Frederick 
Philipse  drew  Lots  3,  7,  9,  16. 

In  the  year  1777  Nathaniel  Philipse  was  killed  at  the  Battle 
of  Germantown,  and  his  share  fell  to  his  eldest  brother,  Adolph 
Philipse.  Adolph  Philipse  died  June  8th,  1785,  leaving  no 
children,  and  by  his  will  left  his  share  to  his  brother,  Frederick 
Philipse,  during  his  life  and  then  to  go  to  his  daughter,  Mary 
Philipse,  who  afterward  married  Samuel  Gouverneur.  Mar- 
garet Ogilvie  died  in  1807,  and  her  share  went  to  Frederick 
Philipse,  her  only  surviving  child.  Thus  the  whole  of  the 
original  lot  became  the  property  of  Frederick  Philipse.  In 
1811  he  released  to  his  daughter,  Mary  Gouverneur,  all  his  life 
interesi  in  the  share  of  his  brother  Adolph,  and  thus  Samuel 
and  Mary  Gouverneur  became  the  owners  of  one  half  the  lot 
and  Frederick  Philipse  owned  the  other  half.  These  parties, 
who  had  previously  leased  their  farms  to  tenants,  began  to  sell 
about  the  year  1811,  and  the  deeds  given  by  them  would  make 
a  volume  of  themselves,  as  all  the  titles  to  land  in  Lots  6,  8  and 
2,  of  the  original  Philipse  Patent,  go  back  to  them,  except  such 
small  tracts  as  had  been  previously  sold  by  Philip  Philipse  and 
Margaret  Ogilvie. 

The  original  bill  for  lawyer's  services  in  the  partitions  is  still 
preserved  and  is  given  as  a  curiosity. 

"  The  Proprietors  of  Lot  No.  6  of  Philipse  Patent  in  Dutchess 
County. 

"  To  Peter  Van  Schaack,  Dr. 

"  To  Counsil  in  devising  the  Mode  of  Proceeding  on 

the  Partition  Act £19    0 

"  To  long  Advertisement  of  Adolphe  Philipse,  draft 

&  copy 1  16    0 

"  Notiiicdtion    of    appointment    of    commissioners 

draft  and  copy , 

"  Draft  and  copy  notice  of  balloting  .... 
"  Minute  of  all  the  Commissioner's  proceeding  from 

the  beginning  to  the  conclusion    .... 
"  2  fair  copies  entered  in  Books  to  be  tiled  in  the 

Clerk's  office 

"  Attendance  on  balloting  and  devising  the  mode    . 


0  12 

1  9 

0 
0 

2  17 

0 

2  17 
1  10 

0 
0 

£12  00 

0 

5) 


294  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"  New  York,  24  Oct.,  1785,  Rec'd  the  contents  in  full. 

"  Peter  Van  Schaack, 

village  of  oarmel. 

Prior  to  the  Revolution  and  for  some  years  later  Carmel,  as  a 
village,  had  no  existence.  All  the  land  in  the  vicinity  was  held 
in  large  farms  by  tenants  who  paid  their  yearly  rents  to  the 
agent  of  the  Philipse  family  or  to  the  landlord  himself  when 
he  came  to  his  estate.  All  the  land  on  the  west  side  of  Lake 
G-leneida  or  Shaw's  Pond,  as  it  was  then  known,  was  part  of 
Lot  No.  8  in  the  division  of  the  original  Lot  No.  6,  and  fell  to 
Adolph  Philipse,  and  from  him  to  his  neice,  Mary  Gouverneur. 
David  Myrrick  had  been  a  tenant  of  a  farm  on  this  tract  from  the 
time  before  the  Revolution,  and  continued  so  till  September  13th, 
1811,  when  Samuel  Grouverneur  and  his  wife  sold  him  the  farm  of 
127  acres,  bounded  north  by  the  outlet  of  Shaw's  Pond,  or  Mill 
Brook,  and  including  all  the  west  shore  of  the  pond  as  far 
south  as  the  Belden  farm,  and  here  he  lived  and  died,  and  his 
old  house  is  still  standing  on  the  homestead  of  Mr.  Chauncey 
Weeks,  the  present  owner  of  the  farm.  The  farm  of  Amos 
Belden  included  all  the  shore  of  the  lake  from  the  David  Myr- 
rick farm  to  the  south  end  of  the  lake,  and  extended  west  to 
Croton  River,  west  branch,  and  south  to  the  farm  of  Caleb 
Hazen,  and  included  316  acres  of  land.  This  farm  had  also  been 
held  by  lease  from  a  period  before  1762,  and  was  sold  to  Amos 
Belden  by  Frederick  Philipse,  December  16th,  1804'.  The  land 
at  the  south  end  of  the  pond  was  a  farm  originally  held  by 

'  Thomas  Belden  came  to  this  part  of  the  country  from  Norwalk,  Coim. ,  and 
was  agent  for  the  Philipse  family,  before  the  Revolution.  His  nephew,  Amos 
Belden,  was  born  July  13th,  1764,  died  May  4th,  1830,  and  was  buried  in  the  old 
Gilead  burying  ground.  He  was  agent  or  land  steward  for  Frederick  Philipse 
and  transacted  most  of  his  business  in  renting  and  selling  land.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Isaacs.  Their  children  were;  Julia,  wife  of  Hooker  St.  John;  Charles, 
born  March  10th,  1793,  died  February  22d,  1858;  George,  born  March  13th,  1795, 
died  January  14th,  1855:  Sally,  wife  of  Rev.  William  Mitchell;  Charlotte; Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Edwin  Crosby,  of  Croton  Falls;  Thomas,  born  1802,  died  in  Mexico 
in  1834;  John,  born  1805,  died  1882;  Frederick,  born  1807,  died  in  Texas  in  1867; 
Benjamin  J. ,  born  1809,  died  in  New  York  in  1858. 

George  Belden  married  Sophia  L.  Miles,  and  their  children  are:  Julia  L.,  wife 
of  Frederick  S.  Talmadge,  and  Laura,  wife  of  Dudley  Field,  both  of  New  York. 

Charles  Belden  married  Helen,  daughter  of  Dr.  William  Miles.  He  had  two 
children:  Helen  E.,  who  died  young;  and  George  Mortimer  Belden,  born  Novem- 
ber 3d,  1826,  died  October  7th,  1873,  married  Isabella,  daughter  of  Levi  Best,  who 
survives  him. 


TOWN   OF   CARMEL.  295 

John  Myriick  as  tenant  in  1766.  It  was  subsequentlj^  held  by- 
other  persons  and  was  sold  by  Frederick  Philipse  to  William 
H.  Seeley,'May  25th,  1815.  It  was  then  described  as  "  begin- 
ning at  the  northeast  corner  of  Isaac  Myrrick's  land,  and  run- 
ning east  along  the  pond  17  chains  24  links,  to  land  of  John 
Ellis,  then  along  the  same  S.  78  degrees  E,  1  chain  85  links, 
then  south  17  chains  to  a  chestnut  near  Horse  pound  road; 
thence  along  the  road  to  opposite  Capt.  Philipse  house,  and 
then  along  the  road  to  nearly  opposite  Fletcher  Hopkin's 
house,"  containing  107  acres.  All  the  land  on  the  east  side  of 
Shaw's  Pond,  from  the  James  Dickinson  farm  to  where  the 
Baptist  Church  now  stands  and  including  all  the  present  village 
of  Carmel,  was  in  1766  held  as  a  farm  by  Silas  Washburn.  This 
was,  however,  divided  into  smaller  lots  and  owned  by  various 
persons  at  the  beginning  of  the  century. 

Judge  Edward  Smith,  in  a  conversation  with  Charles  H.  Lud- 
ington,  December  25th,  1854,  related  several  interesting  remin- 
iscences. Tlie  Judge  was  then  in  his  84th  year  but  his  memory 
was  unimpaired.  In  this  conversation  he  slated  that  he  re- 
membered many  incidents  of  the  Revolution  and  was  thirteen 
years  old  at  its  close.  He  recollected  seeing  Gen.  Washington 
when  marching  through  the  country  with  his  army,  and  saw 
him  pass  "where  John  Fowler  now  lives."  '  Within  his  recol- 
lection there  were  only  three  houses  where  Carmel  now  is.  One 
was  on  the  east  side  of  the  street,  and  on  the  north  corner  of 
the  road  running  east.  This  was  the  house  of  Samuel  Wash- 
burn, and  is  marked  on  Erskine's  military  map,  made  in  1780. 
This  place  was  occupied  by  David  Kelley  in  1854,  and  is  now 
owned  by  Lewis  Ga  Nun.  Another  house  stood  where  Smalley's 
Hotel  now  stands,  on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  and  about  ten 
rods  north  of  the  road  running  to  the  lake.  Elder  Nathan  Cole 
lived  there  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  Col.  Thomas  Taylor 
kept  a  store  there  just  before  it  was  demolished.  Tanner's 
Hotel  stood  there  in  1854.  The  third  house  was  a  Jog  house, 
and  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  about  ten  rods  south 
of  the  Methodist  church  on  the  opposite  side.  Charles  Knox 
was  living  there  in  1854,  at  the  time  of  the  conversation. 

There  was  another  house  standing  on  the  north  side  of  the 

'  John  Fowler  was  son  of  Dea.  Solomon  Fowler.  His  house  was  on  the  road 
close  to  the  west  line  of  Patterson,  and  now  owned  by  heirs  of  John  Henion. 
This  was  the  homestead  of  Dea.  Solomon  Fowler. 


296  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

road  running  east  from  the  village.  This  house  was  the  house 
of  Joshua  Myrrick  during  the  Kevolution.  It  was  torn  down 
many  years  ago  by  Ebenezer  Kelley,  Esq.,  to  make  room  for 
the  mansion  now  owned  by  his  son,.  Thomas  Kelley.  In  1815 
Stephen  Swift  owned  a  tract  at  the  south  end  of  the  village. 
This  was  said  to  be  bounded  on  the  south  "by  Frederick 
Philipse  CarmeJ  town  farm."  This  tract  began  on  the  south 
line  of  the  present  school  house  lot  and  ran  north  along  the 
pond  10  chains  and  86  links.  It  extended  east  far  enough  to 
include  twenty-five  acres.  Next  north  of  Stephen  Swift  along 
the  pond  was  the  land  of  James  Mead.  In  1815  "Stephen 
Swift  and  wife  Katy"  sold  to  Judah  Kelley,  Abraham  Everett 
and  Beverly  Smith,  trustees  of  School  District  No.  5,  a  lot  "  Be- 
ginning on  the  line  between  said  Swift  and  Frederick  Philipse, 
and  thence  along  the  wall  by  the  road  50  feet;  then  east  50  feet; 
thence  along  Swift's  land  50  feet;  thence  west  along  Philipse 
50  feet,  containing  9i  rods  more  or  less."  This  was  the  old 
school  house  lot  and  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  at  the 
north  point  of  the  park,  directly  opposite  the  present  school 
building.  The  old  school  house  stood  on  that  site  till  about 
thirty  years  ago,  when  it  was  moved  away,  and  is  at  the  pres- 
ent time  used  as  a  tenement  house  on  the  premises  of  Miss 
Charlotte  Hopkins.  A  second  school  building  was  then  erected 
on  the  west  side  of  the  road  just  north  of  the  present  one;  this 
remained  till  1880  when  the  new  school  house  was  built.  It  was 
then  removed  and  now,  degraded  from  its  former  use,  does  duty 
as  a  lager  beer  saloon  opposite  the  railroad  station. 

At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  the  principal  stopping  place 
for  travellers  was  Samuel  Washburn's  tavern,  which  stood,  as 
stated  before,  on  the  north  side  of  the  road  running  east  from 
the  village.  This  was  the  only  inn  for  a  long  distance,  the  next 
nearest  being  John  McLean's  tavern,  which  stood  on  the  road 
to  Lake  Mahopac,  where  the  house  of  the  late  Townsend  Secor 
now  stands.  "  Conklin's  tavern"  is  marked  on  Erskine's  map 
as  being  on  the  road  to  Patterson,  some  three  miles  from  Car- 
mel.  There  were  not  many  houses  in  the  village  at  the  time 
when  the  county  buildings  were  erected,  but  the  business  inci- 
dent to  the  county  seat  caused  the  population  to  increase  and 
the  village  has  had  a  healthy  growth  ever  since.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  this  century  the  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  street, 
from  the  road  south  to  a  point  below  the  Methodist  Church, 


a 

O 

> 

p 

:c 

t 

s 

p 

m 

p 

I— 

p 

CQ 

ti 

c 

td 

H 

'<! 

3> 

Ch 

S 

BJ 

P 

o 
o 

CD 

c 

W       rn 


O 

3D 


TOWN   OF   OAKMEL.  297 

was  owned  by  Gen.  James  Townsend.  This  was  sold  by  him  to 
his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Robert  Weeks,  who  built  a  hotel  on  the  cor- 
ner opposite  the  old  Washburn  House,  and  this  was  his  home 
till  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  May  14th,  1816,  at 
the  early  age  of  44.  Dr.  Weeks  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture at  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  Putnam  county,  and 
gave  the  land  where  the  Court  House  and  county  clerk's  office 
now  stand.  He  came  to  Carmel  from  Westchester  county,  prac- 
ticed his  profession  for  twenty  years  and  was  one  of  the  promi- 
nent men  'of  the  county.  The  hotel  and  land  adjoining  were 
sold  to  Lewis  Ludington  who  conducted  the  business,  and  made 
it  a  famous  resort  for  manj'^  years.  It  was  torn  down  about 
thirty  years  ago,  and  the  elegant  residence  of  the  Misses  Lud- 
ington was  erected  in  its  place. 

The  Sraalley  House  stands  on  the  site  of  the  old  home  of 
Elder  Nathan  Cole.  After  his  death  it  was  owned  by  Stephen 
Waring  who  kept  a  store.  The  hotel  was  built  by  Col.  Thomas 
Taylor,  who  was  born  in  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  April  12th,  1784. 
He  came  to  Carmel  and  established  a  small  hat  factory  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town.  He  built  the  hotel  about  1833.  Dur- 
ing his  life  he  was  a  well  known  and  prominent  citizen,  and  was 
elected  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  held  the  office  of 
sheriJQF.  He  died  August  1st,  1865,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  After 
his  death  it  was  purchased  by  James  J.  Smalley,  from  whom  it 
derived  its  present  name.  Few  citizens  enjoyed  a  greater  popu- 
larity. He  was  twice  elected  member  of  Assembly,  and  was  also 
sheriff  of  the  county  and  county  treasurer.  He  died  in  1867, 
and  the  place  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Cornish,  by  whose 
heirs  it  is  now  owned. 

The  Gleneida  House  was  established  as  a  hotel  by  David 
Lockwood  about  1850,  and  was  conducted  by  him  till  the  time 
of  his  death.  Since  then  it  has  been  under  the  management  of 
the  present  proprietor,  David  Lockwood,  jr.,  and  has  a  well 
merited  reputation  for  excellence. 

Lake  Gleneida. — This  beautiful  lake,  which  is  one  of  the 
principal  beauties  of  the  landscape,  was  in  early  days  known 
as  Shaw's  Pond,  from  Timothy  Shaw,  who  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  the  town.  This  name,  though  of  time  hon- 
ored antiquity,  was  too  plain  and  unpoetical  to  suit  the  fastid- 
ious taste  of  modern  times.  Accordingly  a  meeting  was  held 
on  the  evening  of  December  21st,  1852,  for  the  purpose  of  be- 


298  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

stowing  a  new  name  upon  what  was  justly  considered  the  beauty 
of  Carmel.  This  meeting  was  duly  orgaijized  with  Reuben  D. 
Barnum  as  chairman,  and  Edward  Crosby,  clerk.  A  committee, 
consisting  of  William  J.  Blake,  Noel  E.  Waring,  James  Ray- 
mond, J.  D.  Little  and  Samuel  Washburn,  was  appointed  to 
select  an  appropriate  title.  Several  names  were  proposed,  such 
as  Como,  Wassaic,  Sagamore  and  Wicope,  while  one  man,  with 
Scripture  in  his  mind,  urged  the  name  of  Tiberias  as  being  a 
very  appropriate  addition  to  the  already  well  established  name 
of  Carmel.  Rev.  Henry  G.  Livingston,  who  was  then  in  Phila- 
delphia, wrote  a  letter  in  which  he  proposed  the  name  of 
Gleneida.  This  was  adopted  by  acclamation,  and  will  doubt- 
less continue  for  all  time  to  come.  This  beautiful  sheet  of 
water  covers  an  area  of  168  acres,  and  its  depth  exceeds  100 
feet  in  some  places.  Many  years  ago  on  the  outlet  of  this  lake 
there  was  a  mill,  which  was  owned  by  Daniel  H.  Cole,  who 
bought  the  water  right  from  the  Philipse  family.  It  descended 
to  his  son,  Tillott  Cole,  who  leased  the  right  to  draw  water 
from  the  lake,  to  the  city  of  New  York.  The  old  mill,  of  which 
some  relics  yet  remain,  .was  built  more  than  a  hundred  years 
ago. 

At  the  meeting  mentioned  above  the  name  of  Lake  Sagamore 
was  given  to  Bean's  Pond  in  Kent,  while  Lake  Gilead  received 
its  present  name  in  place  of  Crosby's  Pond,  by  which  name  it 
was  formerly  known. 

Carmel  Collegiate  Institute  and  the  Drew  Ladies'  Sem- 
inary.— The  credit  of  being  the  founder  of  the  Carmel  Collegiate 
Institute  is  doubtless  due  to  James  Raymond,  whose  interest 
in  its  welfare  continued  till  the  day  of  his  death.  A  company 
including  many  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  town,  sub- 
scribers for  stock  in  the  enterprise,  held  a  meeting  at  the  Court 
House,  August  23d,  1848,  and  elected  Leonard  K.  Everett, 
Samuel  Washburn,  David  Merritt,  Samuel  Myrrick,  James 
Raymond,  Azor  B.  Crane,  Daniel  D.  Travis,  Joseph  E.  M. 
Hobby,  Eli  Kelley,  Jonathan  Cole,  Benjamin  Bailey,  Enos 
Hazen,  Henry  G.  Livingston,  Lewis  Doane  and  Harman  R. 
Stephens,  trustees  of  an  "Association  for  building  and  estab- 
lishing a  seminary  of  learning  in  or  near  the  village  of  Carmel." 
The  site  selected  for  the  building  is  a  portion  of  the  old 
James  Dickinson  farm  which  was  then  owned  by  Elisha  Cole, 
who  sold  to  the  trustees  above  named  five  acres  of  land,  Sep- 


TOWN   OF  CABMEL.  299 

tember4th,  1848,  for  $1,000.  The  work  was  soon  commenced 
and  the  building  was  raised  October  30th,  1849,  upon  which 
occasion  Rev.  Epenetiis  Benedict,  the  well  known  minister  and 
teacher  of  Patterson,  delivered  an  address.  The  raising  was 
finished  November  5th,  the  last  "bent"  being  elevated  in  its 
place  by  the  ladies  of  the  village  with  the  help  of  pulleys. 
Before  the  building  was  finished  a  sad  accident  occurred. 
Theod-ore  Howes,  a  young  man  of  25,  fell  from  a  scaffold  and 
was  killed  September  10th,  1850.  The  cost  of  the  edifice  was 
much  larger  than  was  expected,  and  there  being  some  diffi- 
culty in  procuring  sufficient  funds,  the  trustees  procured  the 
passage  of  a  special  Act  of  Legislature,  April  10th,  1850,  by 
which  the  controller  was  authorized  to  loan  to  the  county  of 
Putnam  the  sum  of  $6,000,  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  were 
authorized  at  their  discretion  to  loan  that  sum  to  the  Carmel 
Collegiate  Institute,  upon  receiving  sufficient  security.  The 
supervisors,  at  a  meeting  held  in  Ma^^  1850,  declined  to  accept 
the  loan  and  incur  the  responsibility,  and  this  source  of  assist- 
ance failed.  The  amount  necessary  to  complete  the  work  was 
furnished  by  Mr.  James  Raymond,  and  the  institute  was  opened 
September  16th,  1851,/with  Rev.  S.  Gr.  Manwarring,  as  prin- 
cipal. By  his  untimely  death,  which  occurred  in  1852,  the  in- 
stitution met  with  a  severe  loss.  By  an  informal  agreement  be- 
tween the  stockholders  it  was  resolved  that  the  whole  establish- 
ment should  be  transferred  to  Mr.  Raymond  upon  his  supply- 
ing the  means  to  finish  the  building.  No  deed  was  given,  and 
after  the  death  of  Mr.   Raymond,   which  occurred  March  23d, 

1854,  a  suit  was  begun  which  resulted  in  a  sheriff's  deed  being 
given  for  the  premises  to  Mrs.  Julia  Raymond,  December  4th, 

1855,  and  it  was  transferred  by  her  to  her  daughters,  Ada 
Weeks,  Sarah  R.  Livingston  and  Mary  E.  Drake,  October  1st, 
1858. 

These  parties  sold  the  institute  to  Daniel  Drew,  May  4th, 
1866,  for  $25,000.  This  was  the  first  step  in  a  great  educational 
enterprise  contemplated  at  that  time  by  Mr.  Drew  in  his  native 
town,  viz.,  the  founding  and  endowment  of  a  seminary  for  both 
sexes,  with  a  collegiate  department  for  ladies  and  also  of  a 
theological  seminary,  the  latter  being  afterward  located  at 
Madison,  N.  J. 

Mr.  Drew  immediately  placed  Prof.  George  Crosby  Smith  in 
charge  of  the  institute,  with  instructions  to  make  such  changes 


300 


HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 


and.  improvements  as  might  be  desirable.  The  buildings  were 
thoroughly  repaired,  fitted  for  steam  and  gas,  and  refnrnished 
throughout,  and  supplied  with  maps,  charts,  globes,  philo- 
sophical and  chemical  apparatus,  and  a  very  choice  library  of 
3,000  volumes.  The  grounds,  which  are  ample,  were  beautified 
and  means  procured  ior  supplying  an  abundance  of  pure  water 
from  the  lake.  The  school  was  opened  September  30th,  1866, 
under  the  title  of  the  Drew  Ladies'  Seminary,  with  a  full  board 


DREW  LADIES    SEMINARY.— FRONT  VIEW. 


of  teachers,  and  with  thorough  courses  of  study,  elementary, 
academic  and  collegiate,  and  with  well  equipped  departments 
of  art  and  music. 

An  Act  "To  incorporate  the  Drew  Seminary  and  Female 
College  "  was  passed  April  23d,  1866,  by  which  Daniel  Drew  and 
others  were  constituted  a  body  corporate  with  full  powers  to 
establish  the  college.  This  corporation  was  organized  March  13th, 


TOWN   OF   CAEMEL. 


301 


1867,  by  the  election  of  Bishop  Edmund  S.  Janes,  president; 
Ambrose  Ryder,  secretary;  Henry  J.  Baker,  treasurer;  and  an 
executive  committee;  but,  owing  to  the  incompleteness  of  Mr. 
Drew's  plans  the  institution  did  not  then,  and  has  not  since, 
come  under  their  supervision  and  control. 

Subsequently,  however,  it  was  conveyed  in  trust  to  Mr.  Daniel 
D.  Chamberlain  to  hold  for  the  purposes  of  the  'school,  and 
under  an  obligation  to  deed  it  "in  fee "  to  the  board  of  corpo- 
rators when  they  were  ready  to  receive  it,  and  in  this  condition 
it  remains  at  the  present  time,  and  is  in  charge  of  Prof.  Smith, 
who  has  had  the  entire  administration  of  its  affairs  froTn  the 
beginning. 

The  buildings  are  located  on  an  eminence  overlooking  the 
village,    and   commanding   a  fine   prospect  in   all   directions. 


SS!'''*i?i3!'>^  .*<?iCr%5iK',  v/^ift*-^-/ 


'V^* 


DHEW  LADIES'   SEMmABY. — REAR  VIEW. 


and  are  justly  deemed  the  pride  and  ornament  of  the  vil- 
lage. 

As  an  institution  of  learning  the  seminary  holds  an  honorable 
position  among  the  female  colleges  of  the  State,  and  under  its 
present  principal  it  exerts  'a  wide  spread  influence  for  good. 
For  beauty  and  healthfulness  of  location  it  is  unsurpassed  and 
presents  every  attraction  that  can  render  an  educational  home 
delightful. 

In  1872  preparations  for  erecting  a  new  building  for  the 
' '  Drew  Seminary  and  Female  College  ' '  were  made  on  a  very 
extensive  scale.  The  edifice,  which  was  to  be  "400  feet  in 
length  and  surmounted  by  a  tower  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
high,"  was  intended  to  replace  the  building  now  in  existence. 


302  HISTORY   OF   PTJTNAM   COUNTY. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1872,  the  ground  was  broken  "  by- 
Master  Henry  D.  Clapp  in  the  name  of  his  grandfather,"  the 
ceremony  being  accompanied  with  suitable  religious  exercises, 
and  public  expectation  was  raised  to  the  highest  point  in  an- 
ticipation of  the  speedy  completion  of  an  institution  which 
would  be  monumental  in  character  and  of  lasting  benefit  to 
the  entire  community.  The  foundations  of  the  building  (which 
was  to  be  located  south  of  the  present  seminary)  were  scarcely 
laid  when  the  financial  reverses  which  overtook  its  generous 
founder  put  a  stop  to  all  farther  proceedings  and  the  enter- 
prise was  never  carried  to  completion.  Some  of  the  stones 
prepared  for  the  building  were  used  for  the  new  county  clerk's 
office. 

Caemel  Literary  Union. — In  1868  the  want  of  a  public 
library  was  felt  in  the  village  of  Carmel,  and  steps  were  taken 
to  supply  it.  The  Carmel  Library  Association  was  formed,  to 
which  nearly  all  the  families  of  the  vicinity  subscribed.  The 
president  of  the  association  was  Rev.  William  S.  Clapp,  pastor 
of  the  Baptist  church;  James  D.  Little  was  the  secretary;  Gril- 
bert  T.  Ludington,  treasurer;  Herman  Best,  librarian;  and  G. 
Mortimer  Belden,  William  S.  Clapp,  Ambrose  Ryder,  Jonathan 
Cole,  Byron  E.  Hazen,  Noble  P.  Barnes,  James  D.  Little  and 
J.  Addison  Fowler,  directors.  A  library  of  over  nine  hundred 
volumes  was  formed  and  put  into  circulation,  many  of  the  books 
having  been  contributed  by  members  who  took  more  than  an 
ordinary  interest  in  its  success.  Among  the  chief  donors  were 
Daniel  D.  Chamberlain  and  Gr.  Mortimer  Belden.  The  payment 
of  five  dollars  to  the  treasurer  constituted  a  life  membership, 
which  was  taxed  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  per  year;  and  persons 
not  members  of  the  association  could  obtain  its  privileges,  in  the 
discretion  of  the  librarian,  upon  making  payments  to  him  at 
the  rate  of  one  dollar  per  quarter.  The  association  established 
a  reading  room  at  the  residence  of  the  librarian,  which  was  open 
every  day  except  Sundays  and  holidays,  and  for  a  time  was 
well  patronized.  After  the  first  year,  however,  interest  waned, 
the  receipts  failed  to  meet  expenditures,  a  debt  of  some  size 
accumulated,  and  no  attempt  to  jperpetuate  it  was  made.  The 
books  of  the  library  were  removed  to  the  vestibule  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  where  they  were  under  the  charge  of  no  particular 
officer,  and  as  no  one  was  responsible  for  them  a  large  propor- 
tion became  scattered  amongst  the  members  of  the  society,  and 


TOWK   OF   CAKMEL.  303 

were  lost  or  destroyed.     After  a  few  years  the  remnant  of  them 
was  again  removed  to  the  residence  of  Rev.  W.  S.  Clapp. 

In  1881,  they  were  transferred  by  Mr.  Clapp  and  his  son  to 
the  Literary  Union,  of  Carmel,  New  York,  a  society  of  young 
people,  and  through  their  care  and  efforts  a  public  library  has 
been  re-established. 

The  Literary  Union,  a  literary  and  social  organization,  was 
formed  by  a  party  of  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Rev.  W.  S.  Clapp,  February  23d,  1881.  The  original 
members  were  Rev.  Matthew  A.  Bailey,  Rev.  J.  M.  Yeager, 
Rev.  D.  D.  Sahler,  Frank  H.  Greene,  William  H.  Foster,  Henry 
D.  Clapp,  Gilbert  R.  Livingston,  Edward  J.  Wilson,  Professor 
S.  0.  Spencer,  Emma  J.  Wood,  Emma  J.  Foster,  Marilla  C. 
Foster,  Bessie  C.  Foster,  Ida  A.  Tarner,  Carrie  A.  Trowbridge, 
Georgia  E.  Ludington,  EmmaC.  Miller  and  Anna  C.  Little,  and  to 
this  list  many  other  names  were  soon  added.  The  Rev.  Matthew 
A.  Bailey,  formerly  of  the  town  of  Kent,  now  of  St.  Johnland, 
L.  I.,  was  the  first  president  of  the  society,  and  his  successors 
have  been  Clayton  Ryder,  Emma  J.  Foster,  Professor  iS.  0. 
Spencer,  Frank  H.  Greene,  Emma  J.  Wood,  James  A.  Foshay, 
Edward  J.  Wilson,  Ottis  H.  Cole,  Henry  D.  Clapp  and  Edwin 
H.   Abrams. 

In  March,  1882,  the  society  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  the  State,  and  has  since  continued  to  flourish. 

Railroad. — Previous  to  the  building  of  the  New  York  and 
Northern  Railroad,  the  principal  mode  of  communication  with 
the  outside  world  was  by  stages  which  ran  from  Carmel  to 
Croton  Falls  where  they  connected  with  the  Harlem  Railroad. 

The  project  of  a  more  direct  communication  by  means  of  a 
railroad  was  long  agitated,  and  in  1870  the  scheme  seemed  likely 
to  be  fulfilled.  The  13th  of  February  was  a  great  day  for  Car  - 
mel,  for  on  that  day  ground  was  broken  for  the  new  railroad. 
This  ceremony  was  performed  by  the  Rev.  William  S.  Clapp, 
who  threw  the  first  shovel  full  of  earth.  A  large  concourse  of 
people  were  present  and  the  usual  speeches  were  delivered.  But 
Carmel  had  to  wait  many  years  before  the  road  was  completed 
for  the  work  was  hindered  by  constant  delays.  The  first  train 
from  Carmel  was  on  December  23d,  1 880,  and  six  passengers 
and  thirty-nine  cans  of  milk  were  the  first  freight.  The  road 
was  finished  to  Brewster  in  February,  1881.  The  bridge  over 
the  railroad,  at  the  Carmel  depot,  was  built  in   October,  1871, 


304  HISTORY    OF   PUTNAM    COUNTr. 

many  years  before  the  road  was  completed.  The  road  does  a 
large  business  and  is  under  the  able  management  of  Frank  S. 
Gannon,  general  superintendent. 

Putnam  County  National  Bank. — The  Putnam  County 
National  Bank,  located  at  Carmel,  N.  Y.,  was  organized  March 
14th,  1865,  being  the  nine  hundred  and  seventy- sixth  bank  to 
organize  under  the  National  Banking  Act,  the  controller  of 
the  currency  writing:  "I  have  doubted  the  expediency  of  sanc- 
tioning the  organization  of  another  bank  in  New  York  (State) 
but  have  concluded  on  the  jjapers  furnished  to  make  your  ap- 
plication an  exception." 

The  Bank  of  Commerce,  then  doing  business  at  Carmel,  was 
entitled  to  organize  under  the  national  system,  to  the  exclusion 
of  any  other  bank  in  the  same  place.  Through  successful  ne- 
gotiations, this  privilege  was  transferred  to  the  new  bank. 

The  establishment  of  the  bank  was  mainly  due  to  the  enter 
prise  of  George  Ludington,  who  was  apj^ointed  its  cashier  and 
directed  its  management  till  his  death. 

The  capital  stock  was  fixed  at  $100,000  and  has  remained 
unchanged.  A  surplus  of  $20,000  has  been  added  from  the 
earnings,  while  the  dividends  paid  have  more  than  equaled  the 
capital  and  surplus,  and  the  bank  is  now  steadily  paying  its 
stockholders  six  per  cent,  per  annum. 

The  first  presidennt  was  G.  Mortimer  Belden,  who  was  suc- 
ceeded, January  12th,  1869,  by  Sylvester  Mabie,  who  held  the 
office  till  his  death,  January  1st,  1886,  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
present  incumbent,  Ambrose  Ryder.  Prominent  among  the  of- 
ficers were  Joseph  W.  Travis,  who  held  the  office  of  vice  president, 
from  January,  1874,  until  his  death,  August  12th,  1881,  and 
Gilbert  T.  Ludington,  who  held  the  office  of  assistant  cashier 
during  the  first  eleven  years  of  the  bank's  existence. 

Ambrose  Ryder  succeeded  George  Ludington  as  cashier,  and 
was  in  turn  succeed  by  Hillyer  Ryder,  the  present  occupant  of 
the  office.  The  bank  is  owned  by  forty-five  shareholders,  of 
whom  many  are  farmers. 

It  has  never  failed  to  meet  its  obligations,  though  daring  the 
panic  of  1837,  it  had  an  amount  on  deposit  greater  than  half  its 
capital  with  the  Fourth  National  Bank,  of  New  York,  which 
remained  a  number  of  days  with  closed  doors.  The  present 
vice  president  is  Anthony  A.  Akin,  of  Patterson.  The  directory 
consists  of  seven  members  as  follows:  Ambrose  Ryder,  A.   A. 


53 

W 
m 


'^ 


D 
PI 
Z 

o  „ 


O 

> 

r  P 
o 


O 

z 


TOWN    OF   CARMEL.  305 

Akin,  David  Kent,  Henry  Mabie,  Coleman  R.  Barrett,  S.  Palmer 
and  Henry  F.  Miller. 

George  Ludington,  son  of  Frederick  and  great-grandson  of 
Col.  Henry  Ludington  of  Revolutionary  fame,  was  born  at  Lad- 
ingtonville,  in  Kent,  June  11th,  1814.  He  commenced  business 
as  a  merchant  with  his  father  at  Ludington  ville.  In  1856  he  as- 
sisted in  organizing  the  Bank  of  Kent  of  which  he  became  cashier. 
In  1865  he  removed  to  Carmel  and  organized  the  Putnam  County 
National  Bank.  He  was  for  a  time  commissioner  of  loans.  He 
died  April  11th,  1874.  He  was  married,  October  10th,  1843,  to 
Emeline  C.  Travis  of  Carmel.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them 
of  whom  four  are  living:  Gilbert  T.,  of  Carmel,  who  was  for 
eleven  years  assistant  cashier  of  Putnam  County  National 
Bank;  Emma  P.,  married  to  Rev.  Walter  Chadwick;  T.  Edward, 
of  St.  Paul,  Minn.;  and  Georgia  E.,  living  at  home. 

Putnam  County  Coubier. — According  to  the  "  Gazetteer  of 
New  York,"  a  newspaper  was  published  in  Carmel  in  1814,  but 
of  this  we  have  no  further  evidence.  The  name  was  the  "  Put- 
nam Republican"  and  it  was  printed  by  Thomas  Smith. 

The  "Putnam  Democrat"  was  established  by  William  H. 
Sloat,  in  1841.  It  afterward  passed  into  the  hands  of  Elijah 
Yerks.  James  D.  Little  became  editor  subsequently.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1849,  the  name  was  changed  to  "Democrat  Courier." 

January  10th,  1852,  James  D.  Little  purchased  the  paper  and 
changed  the  name  to  "Putnam  County  Courier."  Mr.  Little 
sold  the  paper  to  Charles  Benedict,  in  1860.  He  transferred  it 
to  B.  F.  Armstrong,  and  in  1864,  it  came  back  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  Little,  who  sold  it  to  J.  J.  McNally,  in  1876.  It 
was  again  in  possession  of  Mr.  Little,  in  1879,  and  he  remained 
the  editor  and  proprietor  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1883.  From 
that  time  until  May  1st,  1885,  it  was  edited  by  Miss  Annie  C. 
Little,  his  daughter. 

Mrs.  J.  D.  Little  has  continued  to  edit  it  since  her  daughter's 
retirement.  Mrs.  Little  is  a  sister  of  Hon.  George  M.  Beebe,  of 
Sullivan  county,  ex-governor  of  Kansas,  ex-member  of  Congress 
and  judge  of  Court  of  Claims  of  New  York. 

Putnam  County  Republican. — This  Republican  journal 
was  founded  by  William  J.  Blake,  June  12th,  1858,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Carmel.  It  has  always  been  a  Republican  organ  of  the 
party,  and  was  the  first  Republican  paper  printed  and  published 
in  Putnam  county.  When  founded  in  1858,  its  title  was  "  Put- 
so 


306  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

nam  Free  Press,"  and  it  was  continued  under  that  name  until 
October,  1868,  when  its  editor,  publisher  and  proprietor  sold  it 
to  Mr.  A.  J.  Hicks,  who  changed  its  name  to  "The  Gleneida 
Monitor,"  andsubsequenty  to  '' The  Putnam  County  Monitor," 
by  which  name  he  continued  to  publish  it  until  February  14th, 
1880,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Miss  Ida  M.  Blake,  who  changed 
the  name  to  "  Putnam  County  Republican,"  by  which  name  it 
has  since  been  published. 

Its  first  editor,  publisher  and  proprietor,  William  J.  Blake, 
since  February,  1880,  has  been  its  senior  editor,  and  his  oldest 
daughter,  Ida  M.,  from  the  above  date  has  been  its  publisher, 
proprietor  and  junior  editor. 

The  Gilead  Church. — The  Presbyterian  church  in  Carmel 
is  the  direct  descendant  and  successor  of  the  old  Congregational 
church  established  at  the  time  of  the  earliest  settlement,  and 
was,  together  with  the  church  in  Southeast,  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  Rev.  Elisha  Kent.  The  two  societies  were  distinguished 
as  the  "  Eastern  and  Western  Societies  in  Philipse  Precinct." 
The  Eastern  Society  built  a  log  church  about  a  mile  east  of 
Dykeman's  Station,  the  exact  location  of  which  is  fully  de- 
scribed in  the  sketches  of  Southeast  Church.  The  two  societies 
were  generally  known  in  the  olden  time  as  the  "Church  at 
Philippi."  The  Western  Society  also  built  a  log  church  a;t  the 
northwest  corner  of  what  was  afterward  Lot  9  of  the  Philipse 
Patent.  This  meeting  house  stood  on  land  now  belonging  to 
Elijah  Fowler,  very  near  the  line  between  the  towns  of  Carmel 
and  Southeast,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  directly  oppo- 
site the  old  burying  ground.  The  exact  location  of  this  is  also 
fully  described  in  the  sketch  of  the  town  of  Southeast.  The 
exact  date  when  this  church  was  built  is  unknown.  The  first 
mention  of  it  is  in  the  survey  of  the  Philipse  Patent  in  1754, 
in  which  it  is  mentioned  as  "An  old  meeting  house."  The 
probabilities  are  that  it  was  built  as  early  as  1746. 

Rev.  Elisha  Kent,  who  came  to  Southeast  in  1743,  was  the 
pastor  for  some  years  of  both  these  churches.  The  relation 
which  existed  between  them  is  shown  most  conclusively  by  an 
entry  in  the  minutes  of  the  Fairfield  Association  of  Connecticut. 
In  January,  1749,  "  Mr.  Joseph  Crane  appeared  before  the 
Association  and  applied  in  behalf  of  the  Eastern  Society  of 
Philipse  Precinct  for  a  resolve  as  to  what  portion  of  time  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Kent  should  be  advised  to  preach  among  them,  and 


TOWN   OP   CAKMEL.  307 

offering  some  reasons  in  behaif  of  said  Eastern  Society  why 
tliey  should  enjoy  his  labors  two  thirds  of  the  time.  But  the 
Association  not  having  an  opportunity  to  hear  what  Reasons 
ye  Western  Society  of  ye  Precinct  may  have  to  offer  to  ye  con- 
trary, do  therefore  advise  that  for  the  present  Mr.  Kent's  labors 
for  the  Sabbaths  be  equally  divided,  considering  also  that  ye 
said  Eastern  Society  may  enjoy  the  benefit  of  more  frequent 
lectures." 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  that  Mr.  Kent  had  preached  on  alter- 
nate Sabbaths  at  each  church,  but  as  the  Eastern  Society  was 
far  the  larger  it  is  probable  that  this  was  the  reason  urged  for 
claiming  a  larger  portion  of  the  time.  We  may  remark  here 
that  Mr.  John  Spragg,  who  lived  where  Le  Grand  Hughson  now 
lives,  and  very  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  log  church,  was  one 
of  the  commissioners  who  applied  to  the  Eastern  Association  of 
Fairfield,  Connecticut,  for  a  minister  in  1742,  which  resulted  in 
the  settlement  of  Mr.  Kent  in  Southeast  in  1743. 

This  relationship  between  the  two  societies  continued  till 
about  1749  and  shortly  after  this  Rev.  John  Davenport  came  to 
Carmel.  The  history  of  this  man  would  make  a  volume  of 
itself.  His  great-grandfather  was  the  first  minister  of  New 
Haven,  his  father  was  pastor  of  Stamford,  and  his  son  was  also 
a  minister.  He  espoused  the  great  religious  movement  of  Whit- 
field and  went  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  fanaticism.  In  Boston 
he  made  great  disturbance  in  the  churches  and  in  Connecticut 
he  was  put  outside  the  State  for  his  irregular  proceedings.  In 
fact  his  career  was  marked  by  a  course  of  action  which  was 
half  religion  and  half  insanity.  He  finally  came  to  himself, 
repented  of  his  former  actions,  and  his  evident  contrition  caused 
him  to  be  again  received  into  the  churches,  and  he  was  sent  by 
the  Synod  as  a  missionary  to  Virginia  in  1749.  His  labors  in 
Carmel  began  in  1750  and  while  here  he  assisted  in  organizing 
the  church  at  South  Salem.  He  remained  here  till  1754.'  Shortly 
after  this  he  died  and  was  buried  at  Pennington,  New  Jersey, 
where  his  tomb  bears  the  following  lines  : 

'  It  seems  that  in  1752  the  church  at  West  Philippi  (Carmel)  was  bearing  one- 
third  of  the  salary  of  Eev.  Mr.  Davenport,  probably  in  connection  with  Eed  Mills 
and  at  Patterson,  although  the  last  is  doubtful  and  was  more  likely  some  church 
in  Westchester  county.  At  that  time  he  writes  "  That  his  stay  at  Philippi  is 
doubtful  as  the  Philippi  Church  would  not  continue  to  pay  the  third  of  his  salary 
as  they  wanted  a  minister  of  their  own." 


308  HISTORY   OP  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"  O  Davenport  a  Seraph  once  in  clay 
A  brighter  Seraph  now  in  heavenly  day, 
How  glowed  thy  heart  with  sacred  love  and  zeal, 
How  like  to  that  thy  kindred  angels  feel. 
Clothed  in  humility  thy  virtues  shone 
In  every  eye  illustrious  but  thine  own. 
How  like  thy  Master,  on  whose  friendly  breast 
Thou  oft  hast  leaned  and  shall  forever  rest." 

The  third  pastor  was  Rev.  Ebenezer  Knibloe,  a  young  Scotch- 
man who  possessed  in  a  marked  degree  the  national  peculiari- 
ties, and  was  a  man  of  strongly  pronounced  opinions.  He 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  came  to  this 
country  in  1752  and  went  to  New  Haven.  It  is  supposed  that 
he  came  to  Carmel  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Kent.  When 
he  came  to  America  he  brought  with  him  a  copy  of  the  first 
edition  of  King  James'  Bible,  which  is  still  in  possession  of  his 
descendants.  The  call  to  Mr.  Knibloe  was  brief  and  to  the 
point. 

"  We  the  inhabitants  of  the  Western  Society  of  Philippi  do 
unite  and  call  Mr.  Ebenezer  Knibloe  preacher  of  ye  Grospel  to 
take  the  pastoral  care  of  us." 

This  call  was  signed  by  Eleazar  Hamblin,  Shubael  Rowley, 
Richard  Cooms,  John  Sprague,  Thomas  Kelly,  Cornelius  Fuller, 
Thomas  Colwell,  Edward  Gannung,  Jacob  Finch,  Isaac  Finch, 
Noah  Burbank,  Seth  Dean.  John  Hains,  Matthew  Rowlee,  Shu- 
bael Rowlee,  John  Paddock,  James  Colwell,  Samuel  Latham, 
Isaac  Smith,  Thomas  Crosby,  Francis  Baker,  Joseph  Bangs, 
Thomas  Frost,  Joseph  Hopkins,  Hugh  Bayley,  David  Honiwel, 
John  Frost,  Russell  Gregory,  Isaac  Lyden,  John  Gannung, 
Edward  Carver,  Tho.  Hinkley,  jr.,  John  Myrrick,  Benj.  How- 
land,  Isacher  Robinson,  James  Sears,  Joseph  Gregory,  Isaac 
Chase,  Elkanah  Hinkley,  Lazarus  Griffith,  Jacob  Ellis,  Jacob 
Ellis,  jr.,  Simeon  Ellis,  Jabez  Chase,  John  Finch,  Seth  Myrrick, 
Amos  Fuller,  John  White,  Daniel  Townsend,  John  Barber, 
Matthew  Burgess,  Caleb  Hazen,  John  Langdon,  John  Kelly, 
Jesse  Smith,  Joshua  Hamblin,  and  Blisha  Kellogg. 

The  council  for  ordaining  and  installing  Mr.  Knibloe  met  at 
the  house  of  Thomas  Crosby,  February  18th,  1756.  There  was 
a  literary  and  theological  examination  in  the  morning  and  pub- 
.  lie  service  in  the  afternoon  in  the  meeting  house.  The  ministers 
present  were  Revs.  James  Beebe,  Elisha  Kent,  Mr.  Sill  and  Mr. 
Sacket.     The  first  act  of    his  ministry  was   the  marriage  of 


TOWN   OF   CAEMEL.  B09 

Ebenezer  Robinson  and  Anne  Stone,  which  took  place  the  same 
evening.  Mr.  Knibloe  remained  three  years.  He  complained 
to  the  council  that  "  The  church  had  not  fulfilled  their  engage- 
ments in  regard  to  temporals  "  and  a  committee  promised  "  An 
effort  so  that  no  complaint  of  the  kind  should  be  made  again." 
He  asked  for  a  dismission  and  the  society  "Agreed  to  pay  him 
a  certain  sum  for  his  temporal  interest  in  said  place  and  so  part 
in  peace."  The  relation  was  dissolved  July  11th,  1759.  Mr. 
Knibloe  went  to  Amenia,  in  Dutchess  county,  and  there  died. 
His  descendants  are  now  living  in  that  place.  Some  of  the 
papers  of  Mr.  Knibloe  are  yet  in  existence,  among  them  a  list 
of  marriages  and  baptisms  during  his  ministry.  Prom  a  few 
entries  of  a  business  nature  it  is  learned  that  while  in  Carmel 
he  lived  with  Thomas  Crosby',  and  that  his  board  was  26  shill- 
ings a  month. 

"'A  Register  of  Marriages  in  the  West  Society  of  Philipse 
Patent  :  Feb.  18,  1756,  Ebenezer  Robinson,  Anne  Stone;  March 
3,  1756,  Hezekiah  Keeler,  Kenturah  Lynor  of  Danbury;  June 
7,  1756,  Elijah  White,  Mercy  Hopkins  of  East  Society;  Sept.  16, 
1756,  John'  Barber,  Thankful  Hamblin;  Nov.  3,  1756,  Michael 
Evans,  Hepsibah  Sprague;  JSTov.  16,  1756,  Wheaton  Robinson, 
Phebe  Crosby;  Jan.  20,  1757,  Joseph  Gannung,  Elizabeth 
Kellogg;  Feb.  3,  1757.  Daniel  Gregory,  Mary  Comb;  March  9, 
1768,  Peter  Mabie,  Susannah  Sunderlin;  March  23,  1758,  Bar- 
zillai  Kin— Lidia  Hinkley;  March  23, 1758,  Joseph  Parrish,  Ruth 
Hinkley;  June  15,  1758,  John  Langdon,  Mary  Puriiy;  Feb.  18, 
1759,  Peter  Hartwick,  Jean  Langdon." 

"  A  Register  of  Baptisms  in  the  West  Society  of  Philipse 
Patent  since  the  Reverend  Mr.  Ebenezer  Knibloe  was  ordained 
minister  of  the  Gospel  there:  March  8,  A.  D.,  1756,  Daniel 
Cranes'  son  Nathan;  April  11,  Eleazor  Sprague' s  son  Reuben, 
and  Shubael  Rowlee's  daughter  Patience;  May  9,  James  Col- 
well's  son  Joshua;  June  27,  Seth  Merrick's  daughter  Ruth; 
July  11,  John  Hain's  twins  Martha  and  Sybil,  and  David  Hone- 
well's  daughter  Asenath;  Jan.  2,  1757,  Matthew  Rowlee's  son 
Elijah;  Feb.  11,  The  Worthy  Mr.  Moses— daughter  Martha; 
March  13,  1757,  Caleb  Fowler  was  baptised  and  likewise  on  said 
day  his  daughter  Elizabeth;  April  10,  Hackaliah  Brown's  son 
Nathan  and  daughter,  Wm.  Stone's  son  Oliver,  and  Heman 

'Thomas  Crosby  lived  south  of  the  Seminary  in  Carmel.     His  farm  included 
the  Gilead  burying  ground. 


310  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

King's  son  Stephen;  April  17,  Josepli  Hopkins'  daughter  Han- 
nah; May  1,  Caleb  Fowler's  daughter  Sarah;  May  8,  Joshua 
Hamblin's  daughter  Sarah,  Robert  Fuller's  son  John,  and 
Isaac  Chase's  sons  Thomas,  Josiah,  Joel  and  Solomon  and  ye 
daughters  Sarah,  Elizabeth;  May  22,  Widow  Huldah  Robin- 
son's son  Issacher;  June  6,  Ebenezer  Robinson's  daughter  Ann; 
July  10,  Jonathan  Hopkins'  son  Jonathan;  July  24,  Lazarus 
GriflBn's  daughter  Phebe;  July  31,  Jacob  Surges'  son  Dennis; 
Aug.  7,  David  E.  Smith's  son  Samuel;  Oct.  9,  Joseph  Gregory's 
son  Reuben." 

The  exact  time  when  the  old  log  meeting  house  ceased  to  be 
used,  and  a  new  church  erected,  is  unknown.  The  first  direct 
mention  of  the  meeting  house  at  Gilead  which  has  been  found, 
is  in  the  survey  of  Lot  8  in  1762.  It  was  standing  then  and 
Rev.  Elnathan  Gregory  held  as  tenant  a  large  farm  south  of  it 
which  extended  south  to  what  was  then  Dean's  Pond,  but  now 
Lake  Gilead.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was  standing 
at  the  time  when  Mr.  Knibloe  was  installed,  in  1756.  This 
church  remained  till  within  the  remembrance  of  the  present 
generation.  It  was  a  plain  building  about  fifty  feet  square  and 
stood  on  the  west  end  of  the  old  burying  ground  at  Gilead  and 
some  distance  north  of  the  road.  A  door  on  the  south  side 
opened  directly  in  front  of  the  pulpit  and  stairs  led  co  the 
galleries.  x^.round  the  walls  were  square  pews  for  families, 
while  nearer  the  pulpit  were  straight  backed  benches.  The 
pulpit  was  "goblet  shaped,"  elevated  as  was  the  custom  in 
those  times,  and  winding  stairs  led  up  to  it.  The  building  was 
repaired  in  1802,  and  the  modern  stove  was  introduced  in  1815. 
This  stood  near  the  center,  and  a  straight  stove  pipe  led  up  to 
the  peak  of  the  roof.  This  meeting  house,  which  was  in  its  day 
the  only  church  for  many  miles  around,  stood  till  1839.  It 
was  then  torn  down  and  the  material  sold  to  Peter  S.  Kent  and 
carried  to  his  farm  in  Patterson  where  it  was  used  for  out- 
buildings, which  may  now  be  seen  on  the  homestead  of  Edison 
Smith  in  the  town  of  Patterson.  The  pews  sold  in  1803 
for  $202,  and  in  1806  for  $154.  The  minister's  salary  in  1824 
was  $200.  The  first  deacons  of  the  church  were  Eleazar  Harab- 
lin  and  Thomas  Crosby.  The  former  is  said  to  have  returned 
to  Massachusetts  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution;  the  latter 
died  at  the  beginning  of  this  century  at  the  age  of  92. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Elnathan  Gregory,  who,  unlike  his 


TOWN  OF   CARMEL.  311 

predecessor,  was  intensely  American,  educated  in  the  scliool  of 
Edwards  and  Belamy,  and  a  natural  orator.  It  is  said  that  the 
church  adopted  its  name  from  a  sermon  which  he  preached 
from  the  text  "  Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead?"  His  pastorate 
'lasted  about  thirteen  years,  when  he  retired,  but  continued  to 
live  in  Carmel.  During  his  ministry  the  neighborhood  was 
known  as  "Gregory's  Parrish."  Like  most  ministers  of  his 
time  Mr.  Gregory  carried  on  a  farm  in  connection  with  his  more 
sacred  calling.  His  farm  was  leased  from  the  Philipse  family 
and  was  situated  south  of  the  church  and  extended  to  Lake 
Gilead.  He  is  said  to  have  died  in  Carmel  in  1816,  at  the  age 
of  82.  He  was  a  strong  whig  noted  for  his  patriotism,  and  dur- 
ing the  Hevolntion  a  price  was  set  on  his  head.  The  next  min- 
ister was  Hev.  David  Close,  who  was  called  in  1774.  His  charge 
embraced  both  Carmel  and  Patterson,  but  he  is  said  to  have 
been  in  the  former  place  two  years  before  coming  to  Carmel. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  Dutchess  County  Presbytery.  His  ministry  lasted  during 
the  Kevolution  and  he  died  in  Patterson  in  1783.'  He  married 
a  Miss  Comstock,  but  left  no  children. 

His  successor  was  Rev.  Mr.  Burritt  and  the  Presbytery  met 
at  his  house  in  Carmel,  December  1st,  1783.  The  war  had 
caused  great  suffering  and  made  many  changes.  He  had  been 
so  greatly  reduced  in  circumstances  that  the  Presbytery  com- 
mended him  by  official  letter  to  the  benevolence  of  the  Christian 
public. 

In  1774  the  church,  which  had  previously  been  Congregational, 
became  Presbyterian.  A  letter  from  Mr.  Kent  to  Dr.  Belamy, 
written  during  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Gregorj',  states  that  the 
"  Separatists  and  Sandemanians  were  disturbing  the  congrega- 
tion with  their  errors."  The  former  urged  higher  sanctity  and 
claimed  it  for  themselves;  the  latter  were  the  followers  of  Rev. 
John  Sandeman,  who  died  in  Danbury  in  1771,  and  who  taught 
that  an  intellectual  faith  was  sufficient  for  salvation  without  a 
change  of  heart. 

For  some  years  after  the  Revolution  the  church  seems  to  have 
been  broken  up  and  disorganized,  but  it  was  reorganized  in 
1792. 

"  Prederickstown,  Aug.  9,  1792. 

"We  the  subscribers,  members  of  different  churches  and  of 

'See  Sketch  of  Presbyterian  Church,  Patterson. 


312  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

the  former  church  in  this  place,  now  dissolved,  living  in  the 
vicinity  commonly  knovi^n  as  Gregory's  Parrish,  considering  it 
the  duty  of  Christians  to  join  together  and  form  churches 
vi^herever  God  in  his  Providence  may  cast  their  lot  and  finding 
ourselves  under  such  circumstances  and  no  church  in  this, 
parish  w^hich  we  may  join  *  *  have  after  mature  delibera- 
tion judged  that  we  ought  to  unite  in  covenant  as  a  visible 
church  and  Messrs.  Ichabod  Lewis,  Jehu  Minor,  Amzi  Lewis 
and  Silas  Constant,  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  having  by  our  re- 
quest convened  in  order  to  assist  us  we  have  therefore  adopted 
and  publicly  received  the  following  articles  and  covenant." 
Then  follow  the  usual  articles  of  faith,  and  the  covenant  is 
signed  by  John  Ambler,  Matthew  Beale,  Philetus  Phillips, 
Zebulon  Phillips,  John  Merrick,  John  McLean,  Jabez  Truesdale, 
Rebecca  Hopkins,  Mary  Hopkins,  Desire  Stone,  Mary  Haines, 
Lucy  Cullen,'  Bethice  Truesdell,  Esther  Phillips  and  Elizabeth 
Merrick.  Rev.  Ichabod  Lewis  is  said  to  have  preached  here 
from  1792  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1793,  and  at  the  same 
time  was  pastor  of  the  church  in  Southeast. 

Rev.  James  Hickox  was  licensed  in  1793  and  preached  at 
Gilead  and  Red  Mills  until  1803.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Stephen  Dodd  who  came  in  June,  1803,  and  also  had  charge  of 
the  church  at  Red  Mills.  He  removed  to  Salem,  July  15th, 
1810. 

Rev.  Herman  Dagget  came  to  this  place  from  Northampton, 
Mass.,  and  was  pastor  both  here  and  at  Red  Mills.  The  two 
churches  gave  a  very  meagre  support.  He  remained  two  years 
and  then  became  principal  of  an  academy  at  North  Salem,  and 
was  subsequently  in  charge  of  a  foreign  mission  school  for 
educating  heathen  youth  at  Cornwall,  Conn. 

Rev.  Allen  Blair,  the  next  pastor,  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  was  apprenticed  to  a  weaver.  He  obtained  a  good  English 
education  and  taught  school  at  Red  Mills.  After  studying 
under  Rev.  Amzi  Lewis  he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1795.  He 
became  pastor  here  in  1812  and  remained  till  1815.  He  was  stated 
supply  at  Red  Mills  for  many  years.  He  died  in  1829, 
aged  72. 

Rev.  James  N.  Austin  was  born  at  Red  Mills  and  was  pastor 
here  from  1815  to  1818.     Since  that  time  the  pastors  have  been: 

>  Lucy  CuUen  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Elisha  Kent  and  the  widow  of  Charles 
Cullen. 


TOWN   or   CAEMEL.  313 

Rev.  Abner  Brundage,  1818-21;  Isaac  Allerton,  two  years; 
Asahel  Brunson  preached  here  and  at  Yorktown  3  years;  Benaiah 
Y.  Morse  preached  here  and  at  Red  Mills  6  years;  George  T. 
Todd,  1836;  Henry  G.  Livingston,  1845-49";  Rutgers  Van  Brunt, 
1850-52;  Henry  G.  Livingston  was  supply  till  1856;  Sanauel  W. 
Crittenden,  1857;  Henry  G.  Smuller,  1858-63;  Saurian  E.  Lane, 
1863-68;  Israel  W.  Cochrane,  1869;  Daniel  D.  Sahler,  1870-82; 
A.  W.  Colver,  stated  supply;  Rollin  A.  Sawyer,  present  pastor. 

Rev,  Daniel  Dtj  Bois  Sahler,  who  was  for  twelve  years 
pastor  of  the  Gilead  Presbyterian  Church  of  Carmel,  was  born 
in  Kingston,  Ulster  county,  N".  Y.,  in  1829.  His  parents,  Abra- 
ham Du  Bois  and  Eliza  (Hasbrouck)  Sahler,  were  both  residents 
of  that  place  and  were  representatives  of  old  families  of  the 
couniy. 

Mr.  Sahler' s  early  education  was  obtained  at  the  schools  in 
Kingston  and  after  finishing  a  preparatory  course  he  entered 
college  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  where  he  graduated.  He  then  en- 
tered Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  and  at  the  conclusion  of 
his  course  of  study  in  that  institution  he  was  ordained  and  in- 
stalled pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Red  Bank,  N.  J. 
In  this  place  he  remained  several  years,  his  labors  being  much 
blessed  and  his  church  membership  increased.  He  then  accepted 
a  call  to  the  Congregational  Church  of  Sheffield,  Mass.,  his 
pastorate  lasting  five  years,  and  in  1870  he  received  an  invita- 
tion to  become  the  pastor  of  the  Gilead  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Carmel,  N.  Y,,  and  was  installed  May  2d,  1871. 

The  pastorate  thus  begun  continued  till  the  time  of  his  death 
which  occurred  November  11th,  1882.  His  mortal  remains  were 
laid  to  rest  in  Woodlawn  Cemetery.     He  died  in  the  midst  of 

iRev.  Henry  G.  Livingston,  son  of  Eev.  Gilbert  Livingston,  D.D.,  was  born  at 
Coxsackie,  N.  Y.,  February  3d,  1821,  graduated  from  Williams  College  in  1840, 
and  November  1st  of  same  year  became  principal  of  Clinton  Academy,  East- 
hampton,  L.  I.  He  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  in  1842,  and  preached 
his  first  sermon  at  Easthampton,  L.  I.,  September  29th,  1844.  On  October  37th 
of  that  year  he  first  preached  at  Carmel  and  remained  as  pastor  till  November 
8th,  1849,  when  he  resigned  to  take  charge  of  the  Third  Reformed  Chvtrch  of 
Philadelphia.  He  remained  there  till  1853  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to 
resign,  and  he  returned  to  Carmel  and  took  charge  of  Raymond  Collegiate  Insti- 
tute. Under  his  care  the  institution  was  very  prosperous,  but  his  earthly  career 
was  cut  short  by  untimely  death  January  27th,  1855,  at  the  age  of  34.  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston married  Sarah,  daughter  of  James  Raymond.  Their  children  are  Gilbert 
R.  and  Julia  R.,  now  living  in  Carmel.  Mr.  Livingston  was  a  descendant  in  the 
fifth  generation  from  Rev.  Elisha  Kent,  the  first  minister  of  Southeast. 


314  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

his  work,  and  in  the  full  energy  of  Christian  manhood,  and  his 
untimely  departure  was  lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  devoted 
friends.  The  memorial  service  in  his  honor  was  attended  by 
the  largest  congregation  that  had  ever  attended  the  church 
where  he  labored  so  faithfully  and  so  well. 

Mr.  Sahler  was  a  truly  consecrated  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 
His  one  idea  of  preaching  was  to  win  souls.  All  his  sermons 
were  carefully  prepared  with  this  end  in  view,  and  so  were  plain, 
practical  and  thoroughly  scriptural,  and  his  labors  were  rich 
with  results  for  the  world  to  come,  and  his  pastorate  was  not 
only  the  longest  since  the  days  of  Gregory,  but  the  most 
fruitful. 

He  was  a  pastor  in  the  real  sense  of  that  term  and  the  truth 
he  preached  on  the  Sabbath  was  illustrated  and  enforced  by  his 
life,  conversation  and  personal  efforts  during  the  week,  and  as 
one  who  knew  him  well  remai-ked,  "  a  large  part  of  his  preach- 
ing was  done  outside  the  pulpit." 

His  social  temperament  and  genial  disposition  made  him  ever 
a  welcome  guest  not  only  in  the  homes  of  his  own  people  but 
in  the  homes  of  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 
In  times  of  sorrow  his  quick,  sympathetic  nature  made  him  ever 
ready  to  administer  consolation,  and  many  a  heart  bowed  down 
with  grief  has  been  cheered  and  comforted  by  his  tender  loving 
words. 

He  was  a  man  of  broad  culture,  and  always  kept  himself 
abreast  with  the  wants  of  the  times.  While  giving  self-sacri- 
ficing attention  to  every  interest  associated  with  the  Church  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  he  was  always  at  the  front  in  all  reforms  for  the 
good  of  mankind,  and  thus  he  endeared  himself  not  only  to  his 
immediate  congregation  but  to  the  entire  community.  Fitted 
by  education  and  taste  for  the  most  varied  associations  he  gave 
himself  wholly  to  his  church  and  its  neighborhood.  His  powers 
of  adaptation  made  him  successful  with  all.  He  was  an  evan- 
gelist in  the  remoter  districts  of  the  county.  He  was  the  helper 
of  the  friends  of  purity  and  temperance.  In  the  intellectual 
development  of  young  people  he  was  enthusiastic  and  untiring. 
In  the  association  of  ministers  of  Putnam  county  and  vicinity 
he  was  active  and  efficient.  Thoroughly  Presbyterian  in  his  be- 
liefs and  methods,  he  yet  respected  the  beliefs  of  others  and  in 
all  the  great  varieties  of  Christian  service  he  found  a  congenial 


c^^^^^^ciAjLuo 


"^ 


j;.i3-'i'  7J^Fiiv:sS^iz: 


TOWN    OF    OAEMEL.  315 

sphere  for  his  great  heart  to  lavish  its  sympathy  and  his  busy 
brain  to  kindle  its  brightest  thought. 

His  death  in  the  vigor  of  his  years  made  vacancies  to  be  long 
deplored.  The  religious  history  of  Putnam  county  would  be 
incomplete  without  giving  large  place  to  him  whose  name  is 
tenderly  cherished  in  so  many  of  its  homes. 

He  married  the  eldest  daughter  of  Benjamin  W.  Merriam  of 
New  York,  who,  with  three  daughters,  survives  him. 

Parsonage  and  Church  Lots. — As  stated  before.  Rev.  Elna- 
than  Gregory  during  his  life  was  tenant  of  a  large  farm  near 
his  church.  July  10th,  1818,  Amos  Belden  sold  to  Enoch  Cros- 
by, Joel  Frost,  Elisha  Smith,  David  Travis  and  Joseph  Crane, 
trustees  of  the  church,  thirty  acres  of  land  bounded  south  by 
Dean's  Pond  and  north  by  the  Horse  Pound  road.  This  farm 
the  trustees  sold  to  Rev.  Benaiah  Y.  Morse,  March  5th,  1835. 
He  sold  two  thirds  of  an  acre  next  the  road  to  Floyd  T.  Frost 
and  the  remainder  to  William  Watts  April  7th  of  the  same 
year.  The  house  and  part  of  the  land  opposite  the  burying 
ground  now  belong  to  Lyman  Craft,  the  house  being  the  old 
parsonage  built  before  the  Revolution.  The  present  church  in 
Carmel  was  built  in  1836.  The  church  lot  was  sold  to  the  trus- 
tees by  Lewis  Ludington,  James  Raymond  and  Benjamin  Bel- 
den, June  30th,  1835.  This  is  apart  of  a  tract  of  16  acres  which 
was  sold  to  them  by  Elisha  Cole  July  7th,  1834.  The  north  line 
of  this  church  lot  is  the  original  north  bounds  of  the  farm  leased 
in  perpetuity  by  Philip  Philipse  to  James  Dickinson  in  1766, 
and  which  afterward  passed  into  the  hands  of  Elisha  Cole.  The 
present  parsonage  was  purchased  from  Chauncey  R.  Weeks  in 
1856. 

The  Gilead  Burying  Ground. — This  place,  situated  about  a 
mile  southeast  of  the  village  of  Carmel  and  the  location  of  the  old 
Grilead  Church,  is  a  part  of  the  farm  which,  in  1756,  was  in  pos- 
sesion of  Thomas  Crosby  and  was  leased  to  James  Dickinson 
in  1766  and  sold  to  Elisha  Cole  by  Frederick  Philipse  in  1828. 
It  is  probable  that  the  first  burials  here  were  soon  after  the 
building  of  the  Gilead  Church.  The  oldest  inscription  is  in 
memory  of  Sarah,  wife  of  Jesse  Smith,  who  died  November  17th, 
1766.  This  burial  ground  is  the  last  resting  place  of  the  earliest 
settlers  and  the  representatives  of  the  older  families  of  the  town. 
The  old  Gilead  meeting  house  stood  on  the  west  end  of  the 
ground  and  a  little  way  north  of  the  road. 


316 


HISTORY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 


The  following  names  and  dates  are  from  the  Grilead  Burying 
Ground.— James  Colwell,  died  July  4,  1837,  age  76;  David  Myr- 
rick,  May  8, 1800,  69;  Hannah,  wife,  Feb.  24,  1807,  77;  Lois  wife 
of  Matthew  Beale,  July  1,  1785,  27;    Elizabeth,  widow  of   Tho. 
Crosby,  Aug.  6,  1801,  92;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  Beale,    Jan.  1, 
1790,  37;  Sarah,  wife   of   Mr.    Jesse   Smith,    Nov.  17,  1766,  62; 
Daniel  Daily,  May  24,  1861,  51;  Caleb  Fowler,  Aug.  6,  1805,  72; 
Eliza  wife,  June  8,  1807,  80;  John  Wood,  Dec.  17,  1808,  34;  John 
Myrrick,   May  14,   1812,   42;  Rev.  Ebenezer   Phillips,    Feb.  15, 
1834,  48;  Mary,  wife,  Oct.  15,  1846,  46;  Reuben  Hopkins,   July 
22,  1798,  31;  Capt.  Solomon  Hopkins,  Sept.  22,  1792,  54;  Eliza- 
beth, wife,  Jan.  6,  1804,  62;  Eleanor,  wife  of  Thatcher  Hopkins, 
Mar.  2,  1786,  80;  Col.  Caleb  Hazen,   March  31,  1806,  56;  Ruth, 
wife,  Dec.  18,  1828,  77;  Capt.  Eleazor  Hazen,  Sept.  20,  1793,  37; 
Enoch  Crosby,  June  26,  1835,  85;  Sarah,  wife,  Sept.  4,  1811,  56; 
Joel   Myer,    Mar.   25,  1807,  72:  Seth  Foster,  Sept.  15,  1837,  76; 
Huldah,  wife,  Oct.  29,  1797,  40;  Elizabeth,  wife,  Jan.   28,  1848, 
86;  Tho.  Foster,  Sept.  22,  1840,   45;  Laura  A.  Foster,    Nov.  30, 
1847,    43;  Tilly   Foster,    Apr.    4,  1847,  49;  Sally,  wife,    Apr.  8, 
1836,  40;  Abigail,  wife,  James  Sloat,  May  15,  1825,  69;  Eli  Gan- 
nung,    Feb.    8,    1827,    40;  Reuben   Gannung,  Dec.  29,  1836,  79; 
Samuel  Kniflfen,  Oct.  9,  1791,  74;  Alvah  Trowbridge,   June   10, 
1856,  76;  Sally,  wife,  April  6,  1833,   52;  James   Garrison,  Jan. 
18,  1881,   80;  Zebulon   Washburn,  Nov.  17,  1833,  86;  Jeremiah 
Hughson,   Apr.   12,   1812,   63;  Rebecca,  wife,   Apr.  7,  1812,  61; 
Abijah  Baker,  Oct.  1805,  80;  Tho.  Wilson,  Oct.  7,  1805,  80;  John 
Frost,  Mar.  21,  1831,  91;  Huldah,  wife,  Oct.  13,  1802,  60;  Mehit- 
able  Frost,  June  6,  1856,  73;  Wm.  Colwell,   Sept.  13,  1825,  81; 
Phebe,  wife.   Mar.  25,  1818,  80;  Solomon  Fowler,  Oct.  21,  1828, 
61;  Hannah,  wife,   July  1,  1849,  73;    Jacob  Ganung,   Dec.  22, 
1834,  86;  Hannah,  wife,  May  22,  1845,  92;  Joseph  Ganung,  May 
24,  1836,  68;  Susannah,  wife,  Aug.  19,  1848,  69;  Hon.  Joel  Frost, 
Sept.  11,  1827,   62;  Martha,  wife,   Oct.  21,  1860,   88;  Jonathan 
Fowler,  Oct.  26,  1848,  79;  Mary,  wife,  Apr.  16,  1835,  59;  Philip 
Smith,  Jan.  1,  1828,  73;  Elizabeth,  wife,  Jaa.  30,  1829,  69;  Capt. 
Samuel  Kniflfen,  Mar.  9,  1828,  77;  Jane,  wife,  Feb.  21,  1844,  86; 
Susannah  Fowler,  Oct.  1,  1847,  80;  Phebe  Fowler,  Sept.  28, 1847, 
88;  Ampelias  Yeomans,  Feb.  22,  1853,  74;  Abagail,  wife,  March 
10,  1848,  63;  Salome,  wife  Josiah  Baker,  Dec.  26, 1845,  71;  John 
Frost,  May  11,  1862,  88;  Cornelia, wife,  Apr.  11,  1844,  62;  William 
Seeley,  Mar.  11,  1828,  53;  Joel  Murger,  Mar.  25,  1807,  72;  Lewis 


TOWN   OF   CAEMEIi.  317 

Crosby,  April  30,  1836,  46;  Cornelia,  wife,  Dec.  3,  1857,  64; 
Hannah  Crosby,  wife  Philips  Bundle,  Apr.  16,  1871,  71;  Gilbert 
Travis,  Sept.  6,  1814,  74;  Joseph  Travis,  Mar.  1,  1841,  75;  Deb- 
orah, wife,  June  12,  1845,  77;  Amos  Belden,  May  4,  1830,  66; 
Elizabeth,  wife,  Dec.  27,  185],  82;  Jeremiah  Hopkins,  Oct.  17, 
1829,  67;  Thankful,  wife,  Apr.  18,  1833,  70;  Jonathan  Travis, 
Feb.  1,  1845,  85;  Elizabeth,  wife,  Feb.  28,  1840,  88;  Richard 
Travis,  Oct.  25,  1844,  56. 

James  Raymond  was  born  in  Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  March 
15th,  1795.  His  parents  were  originally  from  Southeast  Town- 
ship, Putnam  county,  in  which  they  were  old  settlers.  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  learned  the  harness-making 
trade,  and  opened  a  shop  in  Carmel  village.  About  1826  he  en- 
gaged in  the  menagerie  business  in  a  small  way,  which  busi- 
ness he  gradually  increased  and  extended  until  he  was  known 
as  one  of  the  foremost  and  successful  showmen  in  the  United 
States.  He  founded  the  firm  of  Raymond,  Ogden  &  Co.,  sub- 
sequently changed  to  Raymond,  Waring  &  Co.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  Raymond  Seminary,  now  known  as  Drew  Semi- 
nary. September  26th,  1818,  he  married  Julia  Smith,  a  native 
of  Putnam  county,  now  living  at  an  advanced  age,  and  the 
oldest  living  member  of  the  Gilead  Presbyterian  Church,  Car- 
mel. Mr.  Raymond's  death  occurred  March  23d,  1854,  and  he 
is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Carmel,  which  bears  his  name. 

He  laid  out  the  Raymond  Cemetery  in  1845,  and  tlie  same 
year  gave  a  deed  of  the  land  to  the  trustees  of  the  Gilead 
Church,  and  it  is  now  under  their  control. 

Mount  Carmel  Baptist  Chitech. — The  family  of  Elisha 
Cole  are  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  Baptists  settled  here 
and  his  descendants  have  ever  been  identified  with  the  church 
of  that  denomination.  The  society  is  supposed  to  have  been 
organized  about  1770,  but  for  many  years  there  was  no 
meeting  house  in  this  vicinity.  In  the  summer  time  meetings 
were  held  in  the  open  air  and  Elder  Elisha  Cole  preached  to 
numbers  gathered  from  all  the  country  round,  while  in  winter 
the  meetings  were  held  in  private  houses.  Sometime  between 
1780  and  1785,  a  building  was  bought  and  moved  to  a  place  on 
the  west  side  of  the  street  in  Carmel,  where  the  house  of  the 
late  Lewis  Ballard  now  stands,  next  south  of  the  horse  sheds 
belonging  to  the  church.  This  was  used  till  1806,  when  a  second 
church  was  built.     This  meeting  house  stood  on  the  small  lot 


318  HISTOKT   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

south  of  the  present  church  and  on  land  leased  from  Frederick 
Philipse.  In  the  survey  of  Lot  6  in  1810  the  tirst  church  is 
spoken  of  as  having  been  "  sold  and  converted  into  a  barn." 

June  29th,  1821,  Frederick  Philipse  gave  to  the  trustees  of  the 
church  "  in  consideration  of  his  respect  for  the  religious  es- 
tablishment whose  temporal  concerns  are  under  their  care  and 
supervision,"  the  piece  of  land  now  owned  by  the  church, 
lying  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  and  including  the  old  burying 
ground,  and  also  the  small  lot  south  of  the  present  church  on 
which  the  second  meeting  house  was  then  standing. 

The  church-  was  incorporated  February  16th,  1807,  the 
trustees  being  Barnabas  Carver,  Joseph  Cole  and  Henry 
Nichols,  and  "  the  Society  then  agreed  that  their  house  and 
society  be  called  by  the  name  of  Mount  Carmel."  The  third 
church  was  erected  in  1836  on  land  bought  of  Eli  Kelley,  Nov- 
vember  25th,  1885,  and  remained  till  1869. 

The  first  preacher  of  this  society  was  Elisha  Cole,  the  first 
settler  of  the  name,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son.  Elder 
Nathan  Cole,  who  was  identified  with  the  church  during  his 
entire  life.  His  salary  in  1791  was  $12.  About  1792  a  division 
arose  in  the  church  and  Elder  Cole,  with  quite  a  number  of  the 
members,  withdrew  because  the  church  neglected  to  support 
their  poor.  In  1794  the  matter  was  referred  to  a  council  which 
censured  the  church  for  not  maiataining  their  indigent  mem- 
bers and  counseled  the  disaffected  members  to  unite  in  love 
and  labor  together  for  the  good  of  Zion.  This  advice  was  com- 
plied with  and  the  church  again  acted  in  unity.  In  1795 
Brother  Joseph  Arnold  was  licensed  to  preach.  In  1796  a  rup- 
ture again  occurred  and  Elder  Cole  with  a  large  number  with- 
drew from  the  church  on  account  of  the  "superfluous  dress, 
and  the  holding  of  posts  of  civil  and  military  office  in  earthly 
states  by  certain  members."  Notwithstanding  this  the  church 
increased,  and  it  was  "Resolved  that  our  dissenting  brethren 
who  withdrew  from  the  church  on  account  of  fashionable  dress 
and  the  holding  of  posts  of  honor  both  civil  and  military  be 
allowed  the  privilege  of  occupying  the  meeting  house  one  half 
the  time." 

Thus  matters  continued,  both  the  church  and  the  disaffected 
members  receiving  members  until  July  1st,  1797,  when  the 
church  withdrew  the  hand  of  fellowship  from  all  dissenting 
brethren  and  sisters  for  covenant  breaking.     November  22d, 


TOWN   OF   CARMEL.  319 

1798,  Daniel  Cole  Avas  ordained  deacon  and  during  1799  and  1802 
the  churcli  was  supplied  with  preaching  by  Elder  Ebenezer  Cole 
and  Jonathan  Sturdevant  at  the  stipulated  rate  of  $85  a  year. 
A  list  was  taken  of  members  willing  to  contribute  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  gospel  and  for  a  part  of  the  time  meetings  were  held 
in  private  houses  "  to  accommodate  the  lame,  the  halt  and  the 
blind."  In  December,  1802,  some  of  the  members  were  put 
under  admonition  for  joining  the  Masons.  Elder  Ebenezer  Cole 
became  sole  pastor  in  1802  at  a  salary  of  $30.  In  1809  Lewis 
Evans  was  licensed  to  preach  and  Elisha  Booth  in  the  year  fol- 
lowing. 

About  this  time  the  church  met  with  a  severe  loss  by  the 
death  of  Elder  Cole,  whose  tombstone  in  the  old  burying  ground 
bears  the  following: 

"IN  MEMORY  OF  ELDER  NATHAN   COLE  WHO   DEPARTED  THIS  LIFE  FEB.  6,  1805,  IN 
THE   59th   year   of   his  AGE. 

"  A  dying  preacher  I  have  been 
Christ  and  his  cross  has  been  my  theme. 
Laboring  for  souls  for  thirty  years 
Often  warning  them  with  tears. 
Today  ye  come  my  grave  to  view 
In  silence  now  I  speak  to  you 
Your  fleeting  time  rolls  fast  away, 
Prepare  to  meet  thy  God  to-day." 

Elder  Ebenezer  Cole  died  August  18th,  1815,  at  the  age  of  61, 
and  Deacon  Daniel  Cole  December  10th,  1831,  aged  85.  These 
three  brothers,  the  pillars  of  the  early  Baptist  church,  together 
await  the  resurrection. 

Elder  Daniel  Wildman  came  in  1817  and  a  great  revival  took 
place  in  1818,  and  many  were  added  to  the  church. 

July  9th,  1820,  Elder  John  Warren  preached  his  first  sermon 
in  this  church  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  a  pastorate  of 
twenty-one  years,  during  which  time  he  baptized  between  three 
and  four  hundred.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution 
and  a  prisoner  on  board  the  prison  ship  in  New  York,  from 
which  he  escaped  and  came  to  Carmel.  He  was  licensed  to 
preach  June  25th,  1791.  and  was  afterward  ordained  at  Dan- 
bury,  Conn. 

Elder  John  Warren  was  born  in  Carmel  but  in  early  life  went 
with  his  father's  family  to  Worcester,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y. 
He  began  to  preach  in  1811  and  was  pastor  at  Roxbury,  N.  Y. 
In  1818  he  came  to  Patterson  in  this  county.    His  ministry  alter- 


320 


HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 


nated  between  the  latter  place  and  Carmel,  where  he  was  pastor 
for  twenty  years,  closing  his  labors  in  1842.  After  a  long  life 
of  usefulness  and  devotion  to  his  labor,  Elder  Warren  died  at 
Danbury,  Conn-.,  July  21st,  1868,  aged  83  years,  one  month  and 
two  days.  He  was  buried  in  an  obscure  part  of  the  old  burying 
ground  in  Carmel,  but  in  June,  1871,  his  remains  were  removed 
to  a  more  fitting  place  in  front  of  the  present  church,  and  a 


BAPTIST  CHURCH,   CARMEL  VILLAGE. 


neat  monument  was  erected  by  his  relatives  and  friends.  The 
Baptist  church  had  no  truer  representative  and  there  was  no 
firmer  defender  of  the  "Faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints" 
than  Elder  John  Warren. 

The  strictness  of  discipline  in  early  days  appears  in  many 
instances.  A  resolution  of  May  17th,  1828,  states,  "That  it 
should  be  considered  a  church  discipline  that  a  member  of  the 


TOWN    OF   CAEMEL.  321 

church  should  visit  a  Free  Mason  Lodge,"  and  in  1829  a  com- 
plaint was  raised  against  one  of  the  members  "for  walking 
uncharitably  in  playing  the  violin,  to  tte  grief  of  the  brethren 
and  sisters,  and  he  was  put  under  admonitions  therefor." 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  C.  H.  Underhill  who  entered  upon 
his  labors  March  1st,  1842.  He  remained  till  April  1st,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Aaron  Perkins.  The  succeeding  pastors 
were:  Rev.  J.  M.  Coley,  August,  2, 1846,  to  April  1st,  1849;  C.  B. 
Keyes,  June  1st,  1849,  to  April  1st,  1851 ;  John  Seage,  April  1st, 
1851-53;  D.  T.  Hill,  April  1st,  1853-58;  William  S.  Clapp,  1859 
to  November,  1859;  A..; Perkins,  January  1st,  1860,  to  May  1st; 
William  S.  Clapp,  May  1st,  1860,  to  October,  1865;  Otis  Saxton, 
October  1st,  1865,  to  April  ]  st,  1866. 

In  1867  Rev.  William  S.  Clapp  again  took  charge  of  the 
church  and  has  remained  its  pastor  till  the  present  time. 

The  present  church  was  built  in  1869  and  dedicated  March 
10th,  1870.  The  old  church  was  sold  to  Leonard  Yeamans  for 
$405.  The  pulpit  and  seats  were  used  for  the  present  Baptist 
church  at  Boyd's  Reservoir. 

The  new  church  which  was  built  at  a  cost  of  |133,000,  will  seat 
600  persons  and  is  an  elegant  and  imposing  edifice. 

Rev.  William  S.  Clapp,  who  has  for  many  years  been  the 
pastor  of  Carmel  Baptist  Church,  was  born  at  Ballston,  Sara- 
toga county,  N.  Y.,  November  2d,  1822.  His  parents,  Chester 
and  Eleanor  Stilwell  Clapp,  are  yet  residents  of  Ballston,  the 
former  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three,  and  the  latter  aged 
eighty-eight. 

They  were  the  parents  of  six  children:  Marcella,  wife  of  Dr. 
C.  T.  Harris,  of  Syracuse;  Russell  P.,  William  S.,  Edward  L., 
John  A.,  and  Harmon  W.  The  last  two  are  deceased;  the 
former  of  whom  was  one  of  the  earliest  emigrants  to  California 
in  1849,  the  latter  was  killed  during  the  Civil  War. 

The  early  life  of  Mr.  Clapp  was  passed  in  his  native  place 
under  the  care  of  his  parents,  and  on  reaching  the  age  of 
seventeen,  he  left  home  to  attend  school  at  Stillwater  Academy. 

After  completing  his  preparatory  studies,  he  entered  Madison 
University  in  the  Sophomore  year,  and  graduated  in  July,  1846. 
Previous  to  his  graduation  Mr.  Clapp  accepted  an  invitation  to 
become  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Albany,  and  was 
ordained,  March  10th,  1846.  In  this  charge  he  remained  till 
May,  1849,  when  a  call  was  extended  from  a  Baptist  Church  in 

21 


322  HISTORY   OF   PCJTNAM   COUNTY. 

New  York  city  which  was  accepted.  Here  he  remained  three 
years,  when  his  health,  which  had  been  shattered  by  an  attaok 
of  cholera,  compelled  him  to  relinquish  his  charge. 

Mr.  Clapp  then  removed  to  Danbury,  Conn.,  where  he  became 
pastor  of  the  church,  and  remained  there  till  1857.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1858,  he  commenced  a  pastorate  in  the  village  of  Carmel, 
which  has  continued  to  the  present  time,  to  the  mutual  satisfac- 
tion of  pastor  and  people. 

Daring  this  lengthy  service  of  twenty-eight  years,  an  entire 
generation  has  grown  up  under  his  care,  and  been  blessed  by 
his  example  and  instructions. 

Throughout  the  county  his  influence  among  the  churches  of 
the  Baptist  denomination  is  widely  known  and  fully  recognized, 
and  in  the  councils' of  the  various  pastors,  his  advice  and  opin- 
ions are  received  with  the  respect  which  is  most  justly  deserved. 

In  1864  Mr.  Clapp  went  to  Europe  where  he  remained  fifteen 
months,  during  which  time  he  made  extensive  journeys  through- 
out the  continent. 

His  influence  and  well  merited  popularity  among  all  classes 
of  people,  led  to  his  receiving,  in  1872,  the  nomination  for  mem- 
ber of  Legislature  on  an  independent  ticket,  and  the  nomina- 
tion was  confirmed  by  the  people  by  a  very  large  majority. 

Upon  taking  his  seat  in  Xhe  Legislature,  Mr.  Clapp  was  ap- 
pointed upon  the  committees  on  Education,  Charitable  and  Re- 
ligious Bodies,  and  Expenditures. 

One  of  the  most  important  services  in  which  Mr.  Clapp  was 
engaged,  was  conducting  the  memorial  services  held  in  honor  of' 
the  memory  of  Hon.  William  H.  Seward,  who  had  passed  to 
his  rest  after  a  life  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  his  country. 

With  the  slight  interruptions  occasioned  by  his  travels  and 
legislative  service,  Mr.  Clapp  has  been  the  settled  pastor  of 
the  church  of  Carmel  for  a  longer  period  than  any  of  his 
predecessors;  a  service  which  we  trust  will  long  continue,  and 
be  in  the  future,  as  it  has  been  in  the  past,  blessed  with  re- 
sults for  good. 

He  married  Miss  Jane  Maria  Mesick  of  Albany,  May  18th, 
1846. 

The  surviving  children  of  this  marriage  are  Chester  S.  and 
Susie  M.,  wife  of  Dr.  R.  S.  Moore  of  New  York. 

After  the  decease  of  Mrs.  Clapp  at  Danbury,  November  12th, 


JSn^ib^JIBEalk  Sovslrr 


TOWN   OF   CARMEL.  323 

1855,  he  married  Mrs.  Catharine  D.  Kelley,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Drew,  June  11th,  1857. 

They  had  one  son,  Hon.  Henry  D.  Clapp  of  Carmel. 

As  a  natural  result  of  .his  long  pastorate  Mr.  Clapp  has  become 
fully  identified  with  the  social  and  religious  life  of  the  town 
and  county.  In  many  families  he  has  officiated  at  the  baptism, 
marriage  and  funerals  of  their  members,  and  shared  with  them 
in  sympathy  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  their  lives.  The  literary 
taste  of  the  community  has  been  greatly  advanced  by  a  large 
and  well  selected  library  of  the  choicest  literature,  a  very 
large  portion  of  which  has  been  donated  by  Mr.  Clapp  and  his 
son,  and  its  elevating  influence  has  not  failed  to  be  felt. 

Mr.  Clapp  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  New  York,  Boston 
&  Montreal  Eailroad,  now  the  New  York  and  Northern,  at  the 
time  of  its  building,  and  represented  the  interests  of  the  town 
in  that  enterprise,  a  position  which  required  no  small  degree 
of  business  capacity. 

From  his  long  continued  ministry,  ripe  scholarship,  sound 
judgment  and  ability,  Mr.  Clapp  is  justly  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  Baptist  denomination  iu  the  county,  and  the  "Faith 
once  delivered  to  the  Saints"  finds  in  him  an  able  exponent 
and  a  valiant  champion. 

Dates  from  the  old  burying  ground,  Carmel: — Hozea  Town- 
send,  died  June  24,  1833,  age  48:  Ivah,  wife,  April  10,  1838,  49; 
James  Hughson,  Dec.  22,  1834,  55;  Abigail,  wife,  March 8,  1848, 
59;  Christina  Roberts,  April  24,  1848,  86;  Dea.  Daniel  Cole,  Dec. 

10,  1831,' 85;  Susannah,  wife,  Nov.  3,1857,  102,  4  m.  8  d.;  Joseph 
Hopkins,  Jan.  31,  1833,  81;  Elizabeth,  wife,  Dec.  16,  1837,  82; 
Gen.  James  Townsend,  Mar.  13,   1832,  76;  Priscilla,  wife,    June 

11,  1839,  83;  Elder  Eben.  Cole,  Aug.  18,  1815,  61;  Mary,  wife, 
Aug.  30, 1806,  44;  Nathan  Crosby,  Oct.  7,  1805,  72;  Eunice,  wife, 
Jan.  17,  1821,  73;  Tracy  Ballard",  Jan.  1,  1829,  72;  Mercy,  wife, 
Feb.  8,  1826,  69;  James  Mead,  April  5,  1830,  58;  Lewis  Eobin- 
son,  killed  by  lightning.  May  27,  1810,  53;  Mary,  wife,  May  8, 
1838,  81;  David  Frost,  Jan.  8,  1818,  51;  Lydia,  wife,  Dec.  11, 
1816,  47;  Nathan  Fuller,  Dec.  12,  1811,  44;  Joseph  Tillot,  April 
24,  1818,  52;  Elijah  Fuller,  June  9,  1821,  77;  Martha,  wife,  May 
14,  1818,  76;  John  Kelley,  jr.,  June  27,  1818,  54;  Rachel,  widow 
of  John  Kelley,  jr.,  and  widow  of  Epenetus  Yeomans,  Mar.  4, 
1850,  72;    John  Griffin,    July  3,  1842,  69;  Mary,  wife,  Feb.  12, 


324  HISTORy    OF   PUTNAM   COUBTTy. 

1859,  88;  Doct.  Robert  Weeks,  May  14,  1816,  44;  Berry  Cole, 
May  29,  1835,  66;  Hannah,  wife,  Dec.  23,  1824,  47;  John  North- 
rup,  Aug.  30,  1829,  57;  Judah  Kelley,  Sept.  17,  1837,  80;  Lydia, 
wife.  May  28,  1818,  58:  Polly,  wife  of  Joseph  Northrup,  Jan.  9, 
1835,  93;  David  Dean,  April  24,  1860,  92;  Deborah,  wife.  May 
22,  1827,  58;  Abraham  Mabie,  Aug.  7,  1817,  90;  Sarah,  wife, 
Aug.  12,  1816,  87;  Abraham  Hill,  May  11,  1817,  70;  Hannah, 
wife,  July  5,  1818,  70;  Gilbert  Merritt,  March  4,  1821,  70;  Charles 
Agor,  Dec.  7,  1819,  95;  Cornelius  Organs,  Dec.  3,  1818,  52; 
Rachel,  wife,  Sept.  18,  1836,  73;  David  Frost,  April  8,  1847,  82. 
From  burying  ground  by  Baptist  Church,  Carmel: — Epenetus 
Yeomans,  died  Aug.  19,  1850,  age  75;  Ebehezer  Gay,  Feb.  19, 
1868,  79;  James  Kniffen,  Jan.  3,  1853,  73;  Uriah  Townsend,  Feb. 
1,  1864,  80;  Sally,  wife,  Sept.  14,  1843,  57;  Abijah  Townseftd, 
Nov.  5,  1838,  78;  Samuel  Wilson,  Jan.  16,  1844,  87;  Daniel 
Brown,  March  6,  1813,  43;  Phebe,  wife,  Feb.  2,  1848,  83;  David 
Merrick,  Nov.  22, 1863,  95;  Enoch  Crosby,  Sept.  1,  1862,  80;  Jane, 
wife,  Nov.  10,  1867,  83;  Wm.  Raymond,  April  18,  1833,  57; 
Hannah,  wife,  Jan.  9,  1841,  66. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  op  Caemel'. — In  1788 
Freeborn  Garrettson  and  his  assistant  preachers  introduced 
Methodism  up  the  Hudson  River  region,  and  it  very  rapidly 
spread  out  in  all  directions.  The  preachers  found  many  houses 
open  to  them  and  as  early  as  1789,  Lieutenant  Governor  Van 
Cortlandt,  near  Croton  River,  became  the  ardent  friend  of  the 
Methodist  preachers,  and  in  honor  of  him,  the  early  field  of 
work  throughout  this  region  was,  for  more  than  sixty  years, 
known  as  the  Cortlandt  circuit. 

For  many  years  the  worship  was  conducted  in  private  houses, 
and  later  in  the  Court  House.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Society 
of  Carmel  was  incorporated  July  15th,  1834,  with  the  Rev. 
David  Holmes,  as  pastor  of  the  circuit,  and  for  trustees  the  fol- 
lowing, viz.:  Harry  Hanford,  Ezra  Bronson,  Harvey  Lounsbury, 
David  Kelley  and  William  Barnes.  An  eligible  building  lot 
was  deeded  to  the  society  August  29th,  1834,  by  Allen  Newman 
and  Amos  W.  Brown,  it  being  the  southern  portion  of  the 
property  on  which  the  church  now  stands.  The  first  church 
edifice  was  built  the  same  year.  It  was  a  wooden  structure  and 
plain  in  style,  but  it  taxed  the  resources  of  the  slender  society 
and  left  them  with  an  encumbrance. 
'This  sketch  was  furnished  by  Rev.  J.  W.  A.  Dodge. 


TOWlSr   OF   CARMEL. 


325 


The  first  Sunday  school  connected  with  this  church  was  or- 
ganized in  1852. 

This  first  edifice  was  quite  largely  repaired  and  improved, 
and  was  re- dedicated  in  February,  1853. 

In  1862  Carmel  was  made  a  separate  station,  with  the  chapel 
at  Drewville  connected  with  it.  A  house  and  lot  just  north  of 
the  church  were  purchased  of  Ambrose  Ryder  for  a  parsonage, 
and  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Smith  was  appointed  pastor.  The  next 
year  a  subscription  was  started  for  a  new  church  and  about 
$10,000  secured.  In  April,  1864,  Rev.  D.  L.  Marks  succeeded 
to  the  pastorate  and  the  project  of  building  moved  on;  the  par- 


METHODIST  CHUECH,    CAKMEL   VILLAGE. 


sonage  lot  was  taken  to  enlarge  the  church  lot  and  the  present 
parsonage  and  lot  were  bought  of  Hannah  Rundle;  the  old  church 
was  removed  and  is  now  occupied  in  part  by  the  Putnam  County 
National  Bank.  The  contract  for  the  present  stone  church  was 
let  to  Caleb  Wright  and  work  was  begun  in  the  summer  of  1864; 
the  contract  called  for  a  church  edifice  43^  by  70  feet,  with  spire 
100  feet  high,  and  the  chapel  30  by  40  feet,  with  17  feet  ceiling. 
The  chapel  was  completed  and  opened  for  worship  January 
1st,  1865.  The  church  was  dedicated  on  October  10th,  1865,  free 
of  debt,  by  Bishop  Simpson.     The  seats  are  free. 


326  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTZ. 

The  church  property,  organ,  bell,  parsonage  and  famishing 
cost  nearly  $40,000,  of  which  Daniel  Drew  contributed  a  large 
portion,  and  the  stone  tablet  over  the  door  still  bears  the  name, 
"Daniel  Drew  M.  E.  Church." 

The  elegant  pipe  organ  now  in  the  church  was  the  gift  of  D. 
D.  Chamberlain  and  cost  $3,500.  Mr.  W.  F.  Jewell  has  been 
for  some  years  the  organist  and  Prof.  S.  O.  Spencer  the 
precentor. 

The  church  property,  including  site,  buildings,  parsonage, 
etc.,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  country.  The  member- 
ship is  a  little  over  one  hundred,  with  about  half  that  number 
in  the  Sunday  school. 

The  presence  of  the  "  Drew  Ladies'  Seminary,"  another  of 
Daniel  Drew's  benefactions,  has  been  quite  a  help  to  the  Sab- 
bath congregations,  and  the  faculty  of  the  seminary  have  been 
most  faithful  supporters  of  the  church  in  her  varied  interests, 
especially  Profs.  Q-eorge  Crosby  Smith  and  Stephen  Olin 
Spencer. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


TOWN  OF  CARMEL  (Continued.) 


Lake  Mahopac. — Hotels  and  Boarding  Houses. — Lake  Mahopac  Improvement 
Company. — Mahopac  Land  Company. — Putnam  Land  Company. — The  Islands 
of  Lake  Mahopac. — Lake  Mahopac  Methodist  Church. — Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. — Roman  Catholic  Church. — Union  Valley  Cemetery  and  Chapel. — 
Mount  Hope  Methodist  Chapel. — Red  Mills. — Mahopac  Iron  Ore  Company. — 
Red  Mills  Baptist  Church.— Red  Mills  Presbyterian  Church.— Rev.  Harris 
Rogers  Schenck. — Putnam  County  Seminary  Association. — Western  Part  of 
Carmel.  — Supervisors. 


LAKE  MAHOPAC,  the  pride  of  Putnam  county,  has  been 
associated  in  modern  times  with  all  that  is  beautiful  and 
romantic  in  rural  scenery,  all  that  is  gay  and  extravagant  in 
fashionable  life,  and  with  the  most  reckless  of  land  speculations. 
This  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  covering  an  area  of  603  acres,  and 
elevated  656  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  is  one  of  the  greatest 
attractions  of  the  country.  Tn  early  times  it  was  generally 
known  simply  as  the  "Big  pond,"  but  on  Erskine's  military  map 
it  is  noted  as  "  Mahopac  Pond,"  the  Indian  name  which  is  thus 
perpetuated  being  probably  the  equivalent  of  "Great  Lake," 
a  name  which,  in  comparison  with  the  others  in  the  county,  it 
justly  deserves.  It  was  also  known  as  "Hughson's  pond" 
from  Robert  Hughson,  who  lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  lake 
at  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 

After  the  confiscation  of  the  property  of  Roger  Morris  and 
his  wife,  the  land  around  the  lake  was  sold  in  large  farms.  A 
large  tract  of  314  acres,  which  included  the  land  on  the  north- 
west side  of  the  lake,  and  extended  west  to  Kirk  Lake  and  in- 
cluded its  outlet,  and  also  the  famous  "Red  Mills,"  and  the 
large  island,  was  sold  to  William  Smith.  The  land  lying  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Lake  Mahopac  and  on  the  north  side  of 
the  outlet  was  sold  to  John  Le  Clare.     This  embraced  89  acres 


328  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

on  the  south  side  of  this  outlet,  and  extending  for  some  dis- 
tance along  the  south  side  of  the  lake  was  a  farm  of  132  acres 
sold  to  Abigail  Clark.  The  "Dean House "  stands  on  this  tract. 
Next  to  the  above  farm,  extending  along  the  lake  to  a  point 
east  of  Ganung's  Island,  was  the  farm  of  Joseph  Gregory, 
which  included  130  acres.  Next  to  this,  including  the  lake 
shore  to  a  point  above  the  "Thompson  House,"  was  the  farm 
of  John  Drake,  which  extended  far  to  the  east  and  embraced  262 
acres.  Next  north  of  this  was  a  farm  sold  to  Peter  Mabie.  This 
was  a  tract  of  105  acres  and  began  on  the  lake  shore  at  a  point 
nearly  west  from  the  Methodist  church,  and  ran  east  to  the 
brook  which  is  the  outlet  of  the  Mud  Pond,  then  down  the 
same  for  some  distance,  and  then  extended  east  to  the  original 
east  line  of  Lot  5  of  Philipse  Patent,  then  south  along  this  line 
six  chains,  and  then  westerly  to  the  lake.  It  included  nearly 
all  the  shore  of  the  lake  between  the  Methodist  church  and  a 
point  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Carpenter  House. 

Previous  to  the  Revolution  one  "Dr.  Hamilton"  is  marked 
on  Erskine's  military  map  as  living  at  the  south  end  of  the 
point'of  land  that  projects  into  the  lake  and  forms  so  important 
a  portion  of  its  contour. 

The  original  farms  thus  sold  by  the  commissioners  of  for- 
feiture, were  soon  transferred  to  other  parties,  and  were  after- 
ward divided  among  many  owners.  Fifty- two  acres  of  land  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  Joseph  Gregory  farm  were  sold  to 
Abel  Smith,  April  24th,  1801,  by  Solomon  Kirkham  and  wife 
Hannah.  This  tract  lay  directly  opposite  what  is  known  as 
"Ganung's  Island"  and  Abel  Smith  had  his  house  on  it. 
March  15th,  1794,  Abel  Smith  bought  of  Paul  Secord  a  small 
tract  "Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner  of  land  now  or  late 
belonging  to  the  widow  of  Samuel  Crane,  then  along  the  same 
southerly  to  the  highway,  then  west  by  the  highway  to  an  old 
coal  kiln  near  a  lalace  called  the  Indian  Cove;  from  thence  north 
to  a  large  pond,  and  then  by  said  pond  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning, be  the  same  more  or  less."  This  last  tract  is  now  owned  by 
Stephen  Smith.  It  is  probable  that  what  is  now  known  as 
"  Hoguet's  Point  "  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Drake  farm, 
and  it  was  bought  by  Abel  Smith  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century.  After  his  death  it  fell  to  his  son,  Ahijah  Smith,  who 
sold  it  to  Anthony  Hoguet  September  15th,  1854,  who  owned  it 
till  the  time  of  his  death,  January  2d,  1875,  and  it  has  ever  since 


TOWN   OF   CAEMEL.  329 

borne  his  name.  It  was  surveyed  and  divided  into  lots,  and  an 
elegant  map  filed  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk,  but  the  dream 
of  its  purchaser,  to  see  it  the  site  of  beautiful  villas,  was  never 
realized.  To  the  west  of  Ganung's  Island  is  a  lot  of  two  acres 
which  was  sold  by  Ahijah  Smith  to  Peter  D.  Christie,  Sep- 
tember 20th,  1859,  and  left  by  him  in  his  will  to  Marion  De 
Lavarre,  a  lady  of  somewhat  romantic  history.  Upon  this  she 
built  a  beautiful  cottage,  which  is  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the 
place.  She  sold  the  premises  to  Lewis  H.  Gregory  and  Thad- 
deus  R.  Ganung  in  1870;  the  latter  transferred  his  share  to  Mr. 
Gregory  and  it  was  sold  by  mortgage  sale  to  Mr.  Thaddeus  R. 
Ganung,  its  present  owner. 

Up  bo  1834,  the  lake  was  scarcely  known  to  the  outside  world 
world,  except  by  the  reports  of  a  few  tourists  who  had  seen  its 
romantic  beauty.  In  that  year  Stephen  Monk,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, purchased  from  Stephen  Thompson  one  acre  of  land 
adjoining  the  lake;  this  acre  was  a  part  of  the  Peter  Mabie  farm 
and  was  given  by  Mr.  Mabie  to  his  son-in-law,  Edward  Vermil- 
yea.  He  sold  it  to  William  Wright,  who  conveyed  it  to 
Stephen  Thompson  in  1822,  and  it  was  purchased  from  him  by 
Stephen  Monk,  December  26th,  1834;  this  lot  lies  on  the  south 
side  of  the  road  leading  from  the  railroad  station  to  the  lake 
and  is  the  same  site  on  which  the  famous  Gregory  House  after- 
ward stood.  Here  Mr.  Monk  erected  the  first  hotel  and  board- 
ing house  at  Lake  Mahopac.  The  house  stood  at  the  corner  of 
the  lot  and  close  to  the  road  which  runs  south  along  the  lake. 
His  hotel  soon  became  the  resort  of  tourists,  and  he  had  a 
liberal  amount  of  patronage,  although  the  only  means  of  ac- 
cess was  by  stages  from  Peekskill. 

Mr.  Monk,  though  a  popular  landlord,  did  not  become  wealthy 
here.  Business  troubles  soon  began  to  annoy  him  and  in  the 
newspaper  of  that  day  there  appeared  the  following  advertise- 
ment, the  forerunner  of  many  similar  ones  in  after  times: 

"  For  Sale.— Valuable  real  estate.  Will  be  sold  on  the  1st 
day  of  October  next  at  10  o'clock  A.  M.,  at  auction  at  the  resi- 
dence of  S.  Monk,  that  well  known  and  popular  resort,  the 
Mahopac  Hotel  in  the  town  of  Carmel,  together  with  about 
one  acre  of  land  on  which  the  said  Hotel  is  situated.  The 
undersigned  consider  that  this  property  is  so  well  known  and 
highly  appreciated  it  is  unnecessary  to  give  a  further  descrip- 
tion here. 


330  HISTORY   OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

"  About  20  acres  of  excellent  woodland  at  the  head  of  the 
lake  and  five  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  the  premises  first  men- 
tioned will  be  sold  at  the  same  time. 

"  W.  W.  Taylor,  \  a  „„i„npps  of  S   Monk 
"  Elijah  Crane,    (  Assignees  ot  fe.  MonK. 

"  September  14.  1882.=' 

At  the  above  sale  the  hotel  and  the  acre  of  land  on  which  it 
stood  were  sold  to  Charles  W.  Schaflfer  and  George  W.  Shields 
for  $3,560.  The  premises  were  conveyed  by  them  to  Huldah 
Gregory  in  September,  1844.  The  piece  of  land  lying  directly 
opposite  the  west  end  of  the  road  which  runs  to  the  railroad 
station,  and  which  was  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  lake,  was  a 
part  of  the  old  Mabie  farm,  which  was  purchased  by  'Daniel 
Baldwin.  This  piece,  containing  about  an  acre  with  a  dwelling 
house,  was  sold  to  William  Nelson  by  the  administrators  of 
Daniel  Baldwin  in  September,  1842,  and  he  transferred  it  to 
Huldah  Gregory,  and  both  pieces,  with  the  buildings,  were 
conveyed  by  her  to  her  son.  Dr.  Lewis  H.  Gregory,  January 
26th',  1853.  Notwithstanding  these  various  sales  Stephen  Monk 
continued  to  conduct  the  hotel,  holding  the  premises  as  a  ten- 
ant and  making  the  owners  some  troable  to  get  possession.  He 
died  March  15th,  1859,  and  the  following  characteristic  notice 
appeared  in  the  newspapers  of  that  day. 

^'^  Death  of  Stephen  Monk. — This  somewhat  remarkable  habi- 
tue of  Carmel,  died  in  New  York  city  on  Tuesday  the  15th  inst. 
Mr.  Monk  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1803.  Many  members 
of  his  family  still  reside  in  that  State  and  hold  a  position  in 
the  highest  circles  of  society.  Mr.  Monk,  or  "  Old  Bolivar," 
as  he  was  familiarly  styled,  came  to  Putnam  county  in  the 
fall  of  1826,  and  a  short  tiuie  after  commenced  the  boot  and 
shoe  business  at  Lake  Mahopac.  Prior  to  this  period,  he  had 
been  leader  of  the  band  in  several  of  the  principal  travelling 
exhibitions  of  the  country. 

"  He  was  married  in  the  autum  of  1829  to  Miss  Clorinda  Crane, 
daughter  of  John  Crane,  jr.,  and  sister  of  the  late  Elijah  Crane. 
Shortly  after  his  marriage,  he  started  a  hotel  at  Lake  Mahopac, 
and  may  be  regarded  as  the  father  of  that  beautiful  summer 
resort.  Most  of  the  town  business  was  transacted  at  his  house, 
and  "Old  Bolivar"  was  instrumental  in  bringing  about  many 
important  improvements,  and,  indeed  deserves  the  credit  of 
establishing  the  Lake  in  the  hearts  of  the  pleasure  seekers  and 


TOWN  OF   CARMEL.  331 

tourists  of  the  metropolis.  He  kept  the  principal  Hotel  at 
Mahopac  tintil  the  year  1854,  when  circumstances  with  which 
the  public  are  familiar,  induced  him  to  relinquish  the  pro- 
prietorship. 

"  He  was  fifty-six  years  old  when  he  died,  and  leaves  a  wife 
and  seven  children.  He  had  been  sick  about  five  weeks.  He 
was  a  man  of  much  versatile  talent,  and  some  genius.  At  one 
period  of  his  life  he  was  considered  the  first  clarionette  player 
in  the  United  States.  He  was  entirely  a  self-taught  man;  and 
his  mechanical  dexterity  in  some  respects  was  marvellous.  Poor 
Bolivar!  We  remember  well  when  he  came  to  us  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  and  related  in  his  slow,  broken  accents  the  loss  of  his 
favorite  violin  at  the  burning  of  the  Crystal  Palace; — a  genuine 
Cremona,  a  centurj'^  and  a  half  old,  which  he  valued  as  priceless, 
and  for  which  he  had  refused  a  thousand  dollars.  His  face  had 
been  singularly  handsome  in  his  youth,  and  in  his  somewhat 
premature  age  retained  many  traces  of  its  former  beauty.  He 
had  a  large  heart,  and  no  man  ever  went  from  his  door  hungry; 
and  when  at  last  he  had  no  settled  home,  his  heart  and  purse 
were  always  open  for  the  destitute.  Had  he  been  less  liberal 
he  might  have  left  a  richer  legacy  to  his  heirs.  Everybody 
liked  him,  and  all  will  regret  his  decease.  His  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  Crane  burying  groiand." 

From  the  time  of  his  purchase  till  the  day  of  his  death  Dr. 
Lewis  H.  Gregory  was  identified  with  the  progress  of  the  hotel 
business  at  Lake  Mahopac.  In  addition  to  the  original  hotel 
built  by  Monk,  he  enlarged  the  dwelling  which  stood  nearly  op- 
posite, and  it  was  generally  known  as  the  Mansion  House.  This 
building  took  fire  and  was  destroyed  January  18th,  1857,  being 
the  first  boarding  house  burned  at  the  lake.  Dr.  Gregory  en- 
larged his  premises  by  the  purchase  of  seventeen  acres  on  the 
south,  from  the  heirs  of  Ebenezer  Horton,  and  a  smaller  piece 
from  Pierre  Humbert.  The  old  Monk  house  was  moved  to  it 
and  a  large  boarding  house  was  erected  in  its  place  and  was  the 
most  extensive  building  of  the  kind  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
known  as  the  Gregory  House. 

All  of  the  original  Mabie  farm,  with  the  exception  of  the  acre 
which  came  into  the  possession  of  Stephen  Monk,  was  sold  by 
the  heirs  of  Peter  Mabie  to  Daniel  Baldwin  and  to  Sutton  and 
Samuel  Vail.  The  latter  sold  their  part  to  Mr.  Baldwin,  who 
by  other  purchases  became  one  of   the  largest  land   owners 


332  HISTOEY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

around  the  lake,  and  some  of  the  property  still  remains  in  the 
hands  of  his  descendants.  In  the  spring  of  1853  Reuben  D. 
Baldwin  built  a  large  boarding  house  on  the  north  side  of  the 
road  and  opposite  the  Gregory  House;  this  was  blown  down 
while  in  process  of  erection  by  a  furious  gale  which  occurred 
March  25th.  In  1858  John  W.  Carpenter  came  to  this  place  and 
built  the  house  which  bears  his  namd,  and  it  was  conducted  by 
him  as  a  first-class  boarding  house  till  1868  when  it  was  sold  to 
Alvah  Hyatt,  but  soon  came  back  to  its  former  owner. 

About  1849  the  Harlem  Railroad  was  completed  as  far  as 
Croton  Falls.  The  tide  of  travel,  which  up  to  that  time  had  been 
from  Peekskill,  turned  at  once  to  the  former  place.  During 
the  height  of  the  boarding  season  there  was  a  constant  travel 
up  the  highway  leading  from  Croton  Falls  to  the  lake,  and  by 
an  act  of  Legislature  in  1859,  commissioners  were  employed  to 
straighten  and  improve  this  road  and  under  their  management 
it  became  one  of  the  best  highways  in  the  county',  and  on  the 
arrival  of  trains  on  the  Harlem  Road,  coaches  belonging  to  the 
various  boarding  houses,  drawn  by  four,  six  and  even  ten  horse 
teams,  urged  on  by  drivers  who  strived  to  emulate  Jehu  of  old, 
made  remarkably  quick  time  in  reaching  their  destination. 

Among  the  well  known  citizens  of  the  place  in  the  days  before 
boarders  and  boarding  houses  were  thought  of,  was  Stephen 
Thompson,  who  came  from  Connecticut  and  set  up  the  business 
of  hat,  making  at  the  lake.  Nathan  L.  Thompson,  his  son,  also 
came  from  Connecticut  and  bought  a  lot  of  four  or  five  acres  by 
the  lake'.  Here  he  established  the  business  of  hat  making  which 
he  continued  for  many  years.  The  following  advertisement  ap- 
pears in  the  local  paper: 

"  Nathan  L.  Thompson  has  opened  a  Shop  on  the  south  shore 
of  the  celebrated  Lake  Mahopac  where  he  offers  for  sale  ready 
made  hats  of  his  own  manufacturing,  cheap  for  cash. 

"  Wanted. — The  subscriber  wants  an  apprentice  to  the  HAT 
making  business;  a  lad  of  16  or  17  years  of  age,  of  steady  habits, 
and  one  who  can  come  well  recommended,  enquire  of 

"N.  L.  Thompson. 
"Lake  Mahopac,  Sept.  9th,  1846." 

'  The  old  road  ran  a  short  distance  north  of  the  present  one  for  some  distance, 
and  near  the  house  of  Judge  Edward  Wriglit. 

^The  Thompson  House  stands  on  the  original  Drake  farm.  This  part  of  it  was 
owned  in  the  early  part  of  this  century  by  Elias  Mabie  and  afterward  by  Henry 
S.  Baldwin,  who  sold  to  Thompson. 


TOWN    OF   OARMEL.  333 

About  1851  Mr.  Thompson  began  to  entertain  boarders,  com- 
mencing in  a  small  way  and  gradually  enlarging  his  accommo- 
dations till  he  could  entertain  three  hundred  guests.  This  hotel 
was  burned  July  6th,  1869,  and  was  at  once  rebuilt  on  a  much 
larger  scale  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  Thompson  House 
has  been  the  most  permanently  profitable  of  any  of  its  kind. 

Octotjer  5th,  1869,  the  Baldwin  House,  which  stood  north  of 
the  Gregory. House,  was  burned,  and  it  has  never  been  rebuilt. 
The  curiously  shaped  building  now  on  the  premises,  which 
attracts  the  attention  of  travellers,  was  originally  the  carriage 
house  and  barn  of  the  hotel.  The  loss  by  this  fire  is  said-  to 
have  been  $50,000,  and  the  lot  was  sold  to  several  persons  by  the 
assignees  of  Reuben  D.  Baldwin. 

South  of  the  Carpenter  House  is  the  "  Kaufman  Place."  This 
was  a  farm  of'  99  acres  which  had  once  been  a  portion  of 
the  original  Drake  farm  and  had  been  purchased  by  Daniel 
Baldwin.  In  1867  it  was  sold  by  Henry  S.  Baldwin  to  Samuel 
Kaufman  for  $30, 000.  At  that  time  there  was  a  comfortable 
farm  house  on  the  premises,  which  was  the  Baldwin  homestead. 
Kaufman  is  said  to  have  expended  $150,000  on  the  place.  It  was 
the  oft  repeated  story  of  heavy  mortgages  with  the  usual  result, 
and  it  is  now  held  by  the  Nevada  Bank. 

The  old  Hughson  farm  at  the  north  end  of  the  lake  remained 
in  a  state  of  primeval  simplicity  till  a  comparatively  recent  date. 
It  was  sold  by  the  Hughson  family  to  Stephen  Dingee  and  by 
him  to  Benjamin  Ballard,  whose  heirs  conveyed  it  to  his  brother, 
Selah  Ballard,  and  it  was  sold  by  him  to  Lewis  B.  Grrifiin',  March 

'Lewis  B.  Grriffin  came  from  New  York  where  he  had  made  a  comfortable  for- 
tune by  building  docks.     He  died  about  1860,  leaving  no  children.     Near  the 
middle  of  this  farm  is  a  small  burying  ground  where  rest  some  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  this  neighborhood.    The  following  dates  are  from  tombstones: 
Mr.  Samuel  Wixom,  died  April  11th,  1803.     Age,  64. 
Benjamin  Griffin,  born  1747,  died  May  26,  1835    " 
Phebe,  wife  of  Benj.  Griffin,    "    Dec.  11,  1849    "    93. 
John  Griffin  "    April  16,  1855  "    67. 

Michael  Sloat  "    Aug.  4,  1815     "     58. 

EUsha  Baldwin  "    Oct.  19,  1816     "    65. 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  "    June  3,  1831      "     76. 

Ja'ny  34 
J.  B. 

DIED  AGED  70 
1780. 

(This  last  inscription  is  supposed  to  mark  the  grave  of  James  Baldwin,  the  an- 
cestor of  the  Baldwin  family). 

Mary,  wife  of  Shubael  Wixom,  3d  Feb.  6,  1801,  age  31. 
Elijah  Wright,  November  11,  1837  "    45. 


334  HISTORY   OF   PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

27th,  1841,  for  $12,500.  It  remained  in  his  possession  till  the 
time  of  his  death,  with  the  exception  of  two  small  pieces,  one 
of  24  acres,  which  was  sold  by  him  Augnst  12th,  1856,  to  Wil- 
liam Tilden,  and  another  of  1]  acres,  sold  in  1855  to  Elias  H. 
Herrick. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Griffin  the  remainder  of  the  farm, 
with  some  additional  land,  was  sold  under  a  partition  suit  by 
Odle  Close,  Referee,  to  Isabel  Saportas,  wife  of  Edward 
Saportas,  July  1st,  1863.  The  extreme  south  end  of  the  Hugh- 
son  farm  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake  was  bought  by  John  Crane, 
who  owned  a  large  farm  to  the  east  of  this.  The  part  bought 
by  him  included  the  land  where  the  Lake  House  now  stands 
and  some  distance  to  the  north  and  east.  John  Crane  gave  this 
with  a  large  farm  besides  to  his  son,  Nathaniel  Crane,  Sep- 
tember 2d,  1826.  Nathaniel  Crane  sold  the '  lot  where  the 
Methodist  church  now  stands  to  the  trustees  of  the  church.  The 
small  white  house  standing  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  nearly 
opposite  the  east  end  of  the  boulevard  was  built  by  Nathaniel 
Crane,  for  his  son-in-law,  Amnion  Fowler,  but  was  sold  by  him 
to  Lewis  B.  Griffin,  together  with  80  acres  of  land  adjoining. 
May  3d,  1846,  and  he  sold  the  house  with  the  land  around  it  to 
Elias  H.  Herrick  and  it  now  belongs  to  his  widow. 

Shortly  after  his  purchase,  William  Tilden  erected  the  elegant 
stone  mansion  which  stands  on  the  north  shore  overlooking 
the  lake,  and  it  is  still  in  possession  of  his  famil.y.  On  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  lake,  at  the  outlet,  was  the  original 
Abigail  Clark  farm.  A  large  part  of  this  was  afterward  owned 
by  Devoe  Bailey,  who  by  various  purchases  became  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  in  the  county,  his  lands  extending  from 
the  lake  to  the  Westchester  line  This  tract  he  left  to  his  son, 
William,  who  sold  it  to  James  Seeley,  and  in  1852  it  was  sold  to 
Amzi  L.  Dean.  Upon  it  he  built  a  boarding  house,  beginning 
on  a  small  scale,  and  gradually  enlarging  till  it  became  an  ex- 
tensive business,  which  has  descended  to  his  sons. 

The  "Summit  House,"  a  hotel  built  about  1856  bj^  Amzi 
Slawson,  on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  about  sixty  rods  west 
of  the  Dean  House,  was  burned  January  1st,  1865,  and  never 
rebuilt. 

When  the  various  boarding  houses  around  the  lake  were 
filled  to  their  full  capacity  the  place  presented  an  appearance 
of  gaiety  and  fashionable  life  equal  to  any  of  the  famous  water- 


TOWN   OF   CAKMEL.  335 

ing  places  of  the  country,  and  Lake  Mahopac  was  mentioned  in 
the  same  category  with  Newport  and  Saratoga. 

In  the  spring  of  1871  the  jffospect  of  extending  the  New 
York  City  &  Northern  Railroad  to  Carmel  seemed  favorable, 
and  to  get  in  advance  of  this  enterprise  the  Harlem  Railroad 
Company  planned  a  road  from  Grolden's  Bridge  to  Lake  Ma- 
hopac. Articles  of  incorporation  were  speedily  executed  for 
the  "  New  York  and  Mahopac  Railroad"  and  the  work  of  sur- 
vey and  building  began  at  once,  and  was  so  rapidly  carried  on 
that  the  first  train  ran  through  to  the  lake  on  July  4th,  1871. 
Upon  this  occasion  there  was  a  grand  celebration,  and  Lake 
Mahopac  was  in  the  height  of  its  glory. 

About  this  time  was  organized  a  company  whose  career  is  a 
very  important  chapter  in  the  history  of  this  section  of  country. 
The  "  Lake  Mahopac  Improvement  Company  "  was  incorporated 
March  8th,  1871,  its  object  being  "The  erection  of  buildings 
and  laying  out  and  subdivisions  of  lands  with  building  lots  or 
villa  plots  at  Lake  Mahopac." 

The  capital  stock  of  tlie  company  was  $1,000,000  and  the 
trustees  were  Joseph  Seligman,  Demas  Barnes,  Henry  Knicker- 
bocker, Uranus  H.  Crosby,  Alfred  B.  Darling,  William  Moller, 
Andrew  McKenney  and  John  H.  Cheever.  The  company  pur- 
chased several  tracts  of  land,  paying  for  them  extravagant 
sums,  making  partial  pajnnents  and  giving  mortgages  as  se- 
curity for  the  remainder. 

A  very  prominent  character  in  this  enterprise  was  Uranus  H. 
Crosby,  who  obtained  some  property  and  more  celebrity  by 
drawing  the  opera  house  in  Chicago  in  a  lottery.  He  bought 
many  pieces  of  land  here  and  sold  them  at  a  large  advance  to 
the  Improvement  Company. 

The  Grregory  House,  which  stood  near  the  site  of  Stephen 
Monk's  Hotel,  and  was  built  by  Dr.  Lewis  H.  Gregory,  was  sold 
by  him  to  Andrew  McKenney  in  April,  1871.  In  part  payment 
he  took  a  farm  in  Connecticut  where  he  made  his  home  for  a 
short  time.  McKenney  transferred  the  property  to  the  Mahopac 
Improvement  Company  the  same  year.  The  premises,  being 
heavily  mortgaged,  were  sold  by  John  Gr.  Miller,  referee,  to  Dr. 
Gregory,  in  May,  1875,  and  he  again  took  charge  of  the  hotel 
which  had  not  been  very  prosperous  during  the  interval.  The 
incumbrances  on  the  estate  were  such  that  on  April  26th,  1877, 
it  was  again  sold  by  Walter  Edwards,   referee,  to  .Edwin  A. 


336  HISTOKY    OF  PUTNAM   COUNTY. 

McAlpine,  who  took  possession.  On  the  2d  of  October.  1878, 
occurred  an  event  which  will  be  long  remembered,  and  which 
was  thus  described  in  a  local  newspaper. 

"  The  well  known  Gregory  House,  at  Lake  Mahopac,  was  en- 
tirely consumed  by  fire  on  Tuesday  morning  last.  It  had  been 
closed  for  the  season,  and  at  the  time  of  the  fire  was  occupied 
by  Mr.  Perry  and  his  family  only.  On  Monday  Mr.  Gregory 
had  removed  his  horses  and  wagons,  and  his  live  stock,  to  his 
place  in  Connecticut,  and  was  there  when  the  fire  occurred.  It 
commenced  at  the  north  end,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  im- 
mense structure  was  reduced  to  ashes,  together  with  its  furni- 
ture. Mr.  Perry,  who  has  been  connected  with  the  house  the 
present  season,  occupied  the  southern  end  and  the  most  of  his 
furniture  was  saved.  What  was  known  as  "Monk  House,"  a 
small  building  in  the  rear  of  the  main  house,  was  also  destroyed. 
Conjecture  is  rife  as  to  the  fire,  but  nothing  definite  has  been 
ascertained.  The  insurance  amounts  to  $92,000,  divided  be- 
tween twenty  or  twenty-five  companies,  which  will  cover  the 
loss.  Mr.  McAlpine,  the  owner  of  the  property,  is  in  Europe. 
The  furniture  was  mostly  owned  by  Mr.  Gregory,  and  Mr.  T. 
R.  Ganung,  of  the  Lake,  had  an  interest  in  it  also. 

"  The  destruction  of  this  popular  summer  resort  will  prove  a 
severe  blow  to  the  prosperity  of  Lake  Mahopac,  and  we  fear  it 
will  be  a  long  time  before  an  establishment  equal  to  the  Gregorj'^ 
will  be  biiilt  in  that  locality." 

The  original  hotel  of  Stephen  Monk  had  been  removed  to  a 
short  distance  from  the  main  building  and  thus  perished  the 
oldest  and  largest  of  the  hotels  of  Lake  Mahopac.  It  was  never 
rebuilt.     The  vacant  lot  is  still  owned  by  McAlpine. 

The  Improvement  Company,  after  their  purchase,  began  to 
plan  improvements  on  an  extensive  scale.  The  first  was  the 
laying  out  and  opening  the  Boulevard  on  the  north  and  west 
sides  of  the  lake;  thus  making  a  magnificent  drive  around  the 
whole  circumference.  July  4th,  1871,  there  was  a  grand  cele- 
bration, the  event  being  the  opening  of  the  Boulevard,  which 
had  been  in  progress  for  some  time  under  a  large  force  of  en- 
gineers, mechanics  and  laborers.  Upon  this  occasion  the  corner 
stone  of  the  "National  Museum  of  Natural  History,"  was 
laid. 

It  would  be  a  difficult  matter  to  find  this  corner  stone  at  the 
present  time,  but  the  place  where  it  was  laid  was  a  little  west 


TOWK   OP   OARMEL.  337 

of  the  old  GrifBn  House,  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Badeau.  There 
was  a  grand  cavalcade,  and  the  day  closed  with  a  fancy  dress  ball 
at  which  all  the  beauty  and  chivalry  of  the  place  were  present. 
In  a  local  paper  occurs  this  statement:  "  The  Land  Improve- 
ment Company  are  preparing  a  large  map  under  the  direction 
of  Gren.  Viele.  It  shows  an  area  of  four  miles  square.  It  is  a 
big  thing  on  paper  and  may  possibly  be  the  fact  in  the  future. 
If  so  Lake  Mahopac  will  be  the  Arcadia  of  America,  and  will 
eclipse  all  other  watering  places  in  the  country." 

When  the  Griffin  farm  was  bought  by  Isabel  Saportas,  her 
husband  erected  a  house  on  the  border  of  the  lake,  which  he 
occupied  for  a  time.  It  was  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the 
outlet  of  Wixsom  Pond  aad  as  a  stroke  of  business  the  com- 
pany sold  this  place  to  Peter  B.  Sweeney,  of  New  York,  for 
$47,000,  it  being  generally  understood  that  the  true  object  was 
to  induce  others  of  the  notorious  "Tweed  Ring"  to  take  a  fancy 
to  the  real  estate  around  Lake  Mahopac,  and  to  expend  upon  it 
some  of  the  boundless  wealth  stolen  from  the  city  of  New 
York;  this  attempt  however  was  frustrated  by  the  collapse  of 
the  noted  combination  which  followed  the  downfall  of  its 
leader. 

Among  the  many  projects  it  was  proposed  in  1872  to  erect  a 
"  Musical  and  Art  College"  at  the  lake.  This  establishment 
was  to  be  430  feet  in  length,  300  feet  wide,  with  a  tower  230  feet 
high.  It  was  to  contain  400  suites  of  rooms,  and  a  music  hall  to 
seat  2,500  persons.  It  is  needless  to  state  that  this  "Castle  in 
the  air  "  never  had  a  more  substantial  existence.  The  following- 
extracts  from  the  local  papers  show  the  fate  of  this  company: 

"  May  1,  1875. —